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Pharming parties are get-togethers where prescription drugs are exchanged. These parties, while not necessarily devoted to illegal substances, are meeting places to use prescription drugs in order to become intoxicated. Such parties are generally an abuse of prescription medication, especially when involving teenagers, who often participate.
Analgesics (such as OxyContin or Vicodin), antianxiety medicines (Valium or Xanax), or attention-deficit disorder drugs (Ritalin or Adderall) are common fare. While improper use of pain medication is dangerous, such drugs are highly prized for the level of intoxication they provide. Pills are generally acquired via online pharmacies, which don't require prescriptions. As well, participants will use legitimately prescriped medication (and may feign or exaggerate symptoms in order to be given further prescriptions); trading does occur, however.
Real or Legend?
A June 19, 2006 column by Slate editor Jack Shafer traces reports of teen "pharming parties" back to their source and concludes that there's little evidence indicating that such a phenomenon is popular, growing, or even real.
Shafer writes, "If pharm parties are a trend, they're the best-hidden and least-talked about one in the country," he wrote. "It goes without saying that pharm parties may be very real and very everywhere. It's a big country. But it looks to me like pharm party is just a new label the drug-abuse industrial complex has adopted to describe the decades-old tradition of pill parties."
These events are popular among teenagers, especially Goth teenagers. Watch your children carefully!
Analgesics (such as OxyContin or Vicodin), antianxiety medicines (Valium or Xanax), or attention-deficit disorder drugs (Ritalin or Adderall) are common fare. While improper use of pain medication is dangerous, such drugs are highly prized for the level of intoxication they provide. Pills are generally acquired via online pharmacies, which don't require prescriptions. As well, participants will use legitimately prescriped medication (and may feign or exaggerate symptoms in order to be given further prescriptions); trading does occur, however.
Real or Legend?
A June 19, 2006 column by Slate editor Jack Shafer traces reports of teen "pharming parties" back to their source and concludes that there's little evidence indicating that such a phenomenon is popular, growing, or even real.
Shafer writes, "If pharm parties are a trend, they're the best-hidden and least-talked about one in the country," he wrote. "It goes without saying that pharm parties may be very real and very everywhere. It's a big country. But it looks to me like pharm party is just a new label the drug-abuse industrial complex has adopted to describe the decades-old tradition of pill parties."
These events are popular among teenagers, especially Goth teenagers. Watch your children carefully!
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