Arise from the European Study Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) combined with those from the U.S. Keeping Track Of the Future Study exposed that American teenagers have high rates of illicit substance abuse when compared with European teenagers. Typically, 18 percent of European students had used an illicit drug in their life times, compared to 35 percent of U.S.Considering that 1999, the variety of drug overdose deaths involving opioids in the U.S. has actually quadrupled, amounting to over a half a million casualties throughout that period. While we now know more than ever about the risks of drug abuse, it appears that this understanding has failed to function as a deterrent.