AFP (9/17) reports, "Some seven million Americans older than 12 took prescription drugs for non-medical reasons. The bulk of the abuse of prescription medications involved painkillers, which some 5.3 million Americans used off-label last year -- a rise of 20 percent from 2002. Among teens, the rate of nonmedical prescription painkiller use rose 17 percent year on year, with most youngsters saying they got the meds from friends, family or an unsecured medicine cabinet." The AFP notes, "The rise in the use of illegal drugs was driven in large part by an increase in the use of marijuana, which 77 percent of the survey respondents said they had used in the past month. Among teens, marijuana use rose nine percent in 2009, partly because 'discussions of legalization, so-called medical marijuana and a proliferation of pro-drug messages' have left America's youth 'misinformed about a drug whose potency has tripled in the past 20 years,' SAMHSA said."

On its website, WCCO-TV Minneapolis (9/17, Seavert) reports that ONDCP Director Gil Kerlikowske "called the increase in drug use disappointing but said he was not surprised given 'eroding attitudes' about the perception of harm from illegal drugs and the growing number of states approving medicinal marijuana. 'I think all of the attention and the focus of calling marijuana medicine has sent the absolute wrong message to our young people,'" he said.

HealthDay (9/17, Reinberg) also notes that "Kerlikowske took aim at the media for influencing some of the cultural mind-shift. 'I can absolutely not rule out this constant discussion of so-called medical marijuana, marijuana legalization and the downplaying of marijuana harms that is prevalent in the media.'"

On the Fox Report with Shepard Smith (9/16, Smith) correspondent Trace Gallaher reported that he had "just talked to" Kerlikowske and that "when it comes to ecstasy, he says we've simply taken our eye off the ball. Back in the early 2000's, there was an early campaign warning young people about the dangers of ecstasy or X as they call it. When campaign went away, the usage went up. As for methamphetamine, the drug czar blames cold medicine or at least the main ingredient -- pseudoephedrine. Even though the feds cracked down on it back in 2006." In a brief clip, Kerlikowske said, "They put pseudoephedrine behind the counter and you have to show ID. Unfortunately, what we've seen in the last couple of years is that groups of people called smurfers are able to use false ID. and other ways to get around that act, buy the pseudoephedrine and manufacture a very high grade meth." Gallaher also noted that Kerlikowske said that "medical marijuana just sends a very bad message to young people." The report also showed a brief clip of Kerlikowske discussing why he is opposed to marijuana legalization.

CNN's The Situation Room (9/16, Blitzer) showed a brief clip of Kerlikowske in which he said, "Young heavy marijuana users are much more likely to report getting Ds and Fs than As and Bs. Are more likely to be in trouble with the law for crimes like theft." Homeland Security correspondent Jeanne Meserve reported Kerlikowske said "fewer teens see marijuana as dangerous because of media coverage of current policy debates." In a brief clip, the Kerlikowske said, "I absolutely cannot rule out this constant discussion of so-called medical marijuana and marijuana legalization and the downplaying of marijuana harms that is prevalent in the media."