Young people typically access opioids in one of three ways. Health practitioners may prescribe opioids, to address post-operative pain, for example. Some youth also take opioids that were prescribed to others, both with and without the others’ knowledge. As well, a small number of young people obtain opioids outside the health care system, including unregulated substances such as non-medical heroin or illegally manufactured fentanyl.

A survey of more than 1,000 American adolescents who had misused prescription opioids provides further insight regarding how these substances were obtained. The most common sources were friends or relatives. Similarly, an online survey of Canadians, including youth, found that 34% of those who had misused opioids obtained these substances from friends or relatives who had prescriptions.

For more information, see Vol. 18, No. 2 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.