Opinion: Cough Syrup as Problem Drug?

(Oct. 25) -- Is cough medicine a problem drug? Cough medicine?

An alarming bit of data suggests that it might be: One in 12 American teens, according to a survey by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, reports slugging down a bottle of cough syrup in an attempt to get high.

A detailed study done for the Department of Health and Human Services found that about 1.7 percent of young people had tried abusing cough syrups in the previous year, and that 5.3 percent of young people -- about one in 19 -- had tried it at least once.

Yet while the problem is real, some of the proposed solutions aren't realistic.

Some background first. Dextromethorphan, the ingredient in cough medicines that soothes throat irritation, is harmless in small doses. A teaspoonful of syrup, the typical adult dose, contains about 15 milligrams. But if a 14-year-old chugs an entire bottle, containing roughly 250 milligrams, dextromethorphan acts as a hallucinogen. The effect can go on from there to confusion, numbness, disorientation and abdominal pain.

What to do? Some have suggested that the Food and Drug Administration take cough syrups off the shelves, placing them behind the pharmacy counters instead. The FDA has considered this, although its expert panels have recommended against it.

But the HHS study found that the teens most likely to experiment with cough syrup abuse are young Caucasian girls age 12 to 17. These teens are probably less likely to go to the drugstore to buy cough syrup than to raid their parents' medicine cabinet.

In the meantime, taking cough syrup off the shelves will likely leave many sick adults under the misconception that they need a prescription for the medication -- Sudafed or NyQuil, for example -- they need for the inevitable winter cold.

A better solution comes in three parts.

First, policymakers should take note of survey data that reveals that most children who abuse syrups are abusing other drugs too. More than 80 percent of the teens who reported use of cough medicine were also regular marijuana users, and 49 percent were regular users of products like LSD and ecstasy, or of "inhalants" like glue or paint. These teens' problem is not cough medicine abuse per se -- rather, they need help with the broader temptation of substance abuse.

Second, to the degree that teens are buying syrups in stores to experiment, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., has a simple and straightforward solution: limit the purchase of cough syrup to customers 18 and older.

Third -- and most important -- a little information from schools and parents will probably go a long way.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America recently published a survey that found that parents are far less likely to talk about cough medicine abuse -- understandably, given the oddity of the phenomenon -- than about the dangers of liquor, marijuana, other narcotics or prescription drugs.

If more kids knew that drinking a bottle of cough syrup could give you an evening in the emergency room with stomach cramps, fewer would indulge.

No one should have any doubt that abuse of cough syrup can be serious. But it's also a problem well-suited to direct, simple and targeted solutions, and Sen. Durbin has found one of them.

Edward Gresser is president of the Democratic Leadership Council.