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ABSTRACT
Drug abuse has been a national social problem in the United States for decades and is often complicated by the emergence of new types of abused drugs or new forms of abuse. In the late 1980s, the community of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania began to detect behavior among its teenagers that suggested a new form of drug abuse and thus a new social problem. The drug was dextromethorphan, used in cough syrup-principally Robitussin DM. The form of abuse is often referred to as "roboing" or "robo-copping." This paper presents the results of the first phase of a comprehensive investigation of this phenomenon in the Waynesboro school district. Data from a survey of school personnel indicate that abuse of cough syrup (Robitussin or other brands) has increased over the years and is increasingly perceived as a problem by the community.
INTRODUCTION
A recent study conducted by the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research reported a significant drop in illegal drug abuse among high school seniors (United States Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration, 1991). Nevertheless, a recent national poll of U.S. citizens and parents reported ". drug use in general and teenagers' drug use in particular [as being] this nation's number one problem" (Eggert & Herting, 1991). The National Institute on Drug Abuse also has reported only a modest decline in drug use. However, ". . . health officials see a new and terrifying danger-teenagers who regularly abuse and combine many different drugs end up with shattered and impotent lives" (Downey, 1991).
A wide range of drugs are being used by the teenage population: 1-13% of students studied by Miller and Gold (1991) reported use of inhalants and, according to Eggert and Herting (1991), over 55% of high school students use illicit drugs. However, the most common drugs used are those easily obtained, typically from their own homes. They may include alcohol, codeine, marijuana, or inhalants such as paint or glue. "Hard" drugs, such as heroin, crack, and PCP were rarely used (Lewandowski & Westman, 1991).
Drugs are used (experimentally or habitually) for many reasons, the most common of which is to produce an immediate euphoric effect. Other common reasons reported by students include ". to make me more popular with my friends,...