Danny Federico
reporter3.riverbendnews@gmail.com
Red Ribbon Week is a national drug-use prevention campaign that begins each year on Oct. 23 and ends on Oct. 31. The Red Ribbon Campaign was created in 1985 by the National Family Partnership, formerly the National Federation of Parents for Drug Free Youth, following the death of Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent. Camarena, who was working undercover in Guadalajara, Mexico, helped lead the DEA to a tip resulting in the discovery of a multimillion-dollar marijuana manufacturing operation in Chihuahua, Mexico. On Feb. 7, 1985, the 37-year-old man was kidnapped and tortured to death.
“In honor of Camarena’s memory and his battle against illegal drugs, friends and neighbors began to wear red badges of satin. Parents, sick of the destruction of alcohol and other drugs, had begun forming coalitions,” the Red Ribbon Campaign’s website states.
According to the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 57.8 percent (or 161.8 million) youth ages 12 and older were reported as using tobacco, alcohol or an illicit drug. This included 47.5 percent (or 133.1 million) youth who drank alcohol, 19.5 percent (or 54.7 million) who reported using a tobacco product and 14.3 percent (or 40 million) who have used an illicit drug at some point in their lifetime. In addition, the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics (NCDAS) reports 50 percent (or 138.543 million) youth ages 12 and over have illicitly used drugs in their lifetime.
The NCDAS also points out a few statistics common throughout the years:
•Forty-seven percent of young people use an illegal drug by the
time they graduate from high school. The NCDAS reports five
percent of eighth graders, 20 percent of 10th graders and 2
percent of 12th graders have used illegal drugs.
•Hydrocodone is the most popular prescription opioid with 5.1
million misusers.
•The most common type of substance exposure reported to poison
control centers is illegal or misused prescription opioids, with
nearly 284,000 cases. These includes 44 percent of cases for
children under the age of five and 5,300 exposures to heroin and
fentanyl.
This year, Red Ribbon Week will be observed between Wednesday, Oct. 23 and Thursday, Oct. 31. During this time, students, parents, teachers and community members are encouraged to spread the word about drug-prevention. There are a few ways to do this. Consider making a drug-free pact with friends; promise to hold each other accountable. Plan a school-wide Red Ribbon Rally or start a Red Ribbon Week Club that meets regularly to promote drug prevention throughout the year. You could even contact your local government officials about declaring the week of Oct. 23 through Oct. 31 as Red Ribbon Week in the community. The ways to provide awareness and advocacy for the impact of drugs on youth are limitless.
Families are also encouraged to take part in the Lock Your Meds national campaign. This campaign is “designed to reduce prescription drug abuse by making adults aware that they are ‘unwitting suppliers’ of prescription medications being used in unintended ways, especially by young people.” To learn more about the Lock Your Meds campaign or how to get involved, visit www.lockyourmeds.org. For more information about Red Ribbon Week or the Red Ribbon Campaign, visit www.redribbon.org/about.