This report documents the nature and origin of the largest preventable--and most costly-- health problem in America. It reveals the latest information about how substance use and addiction affect the teen brain and neurochemistry; lays out the extent of the problem of teen substance use and addiction; and describes the health, safety and social consequences. It examines the broad factors within American culture that drive adolescent substance use and explores the range of individual factors that compounds these risks for many vulnerable teens. It summarizes what research demonstrates can be done to prevent and reduce the problem; describes the chasm between this knowledge and what health care providers, parents, schools, communities and policymakers are actually doing; and explores the barriers to bridging this gap and implementing effective substance use prevention and control policies. Finally, it provides concrete and evidence-based recommendations for health care professionals, parents, policymakers, educators, the media, researchers and teens themselves to act in the face of the body of knowledge presented in this report.
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