2012

Substance use, abuse, and addiction are amongst the leading causes of adolescent death in the United States (Brannigan, Schackman, Falco, & Millman, 2004; Sussman, Dent, & Galaif, 1997). Various illegal substances are widely used or abused by school age children in the United States (Johnston, O’Malley, Bachman, & Schulenberg, 2010). In 2010, the proportions of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders who reported that they had used an illicit drug in the prior 12 months were 21%, 37%, and 48%, correspondingly (Johnston et al., 2010). Approximately 5% of school age children in the United States qualify for a diagnosis of substance abuse disorder (Tarter, 2002).