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A new study has found that teenagers living in rural areas are 26 percent more likely to use prescription drugs for non-medical purposes than teens in urban areas, according to this release from the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America. Though the study by Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found there was little difference in illicit drug use between the two groups, those in rural areas were found to abuse prescription drugs – specifically painkillers and tranquilizers – more often than urban teens. In the study, the authors say one possible reason for the difference is that it may be harder for rural teens to get a hold of harder drugs such as heroin. Using data from nearly 8,000 12- to 17-year-olds participating in the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the study also found that about one in eight U.S. adolescents reported lifetime non-medical use of prescription opioids.

Find out more about prescription drug use among U.S. teens here.

Read about prescription drug use among Canadian students here.

A recent Canadian study on student drug use reveals that students use drugs such as OxyContin, Percocet, Tylenol 3 and Demerol as early as seventh grade, reports CBCNews.com. The self-administered, anonymous survey for Ontario students grades 7-12, conducted by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, shows drug use doubled from eight to ninth grade – from 11 percent to 22 percent – in 2009. School officials blame the ease of access to prescription drugs for the increase in abuse.

Rehab admissions for abuse of prescription medications like OxyContin have increased by a whopping 400 percent between 1998 and 2008, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration says in a new study. The non-medical use of prescription pain relievers is now the second most prevalent form of illicit drug use in the nation, the study found.

Read the full study here.