Teenagers from the
Van Buren County Youth Leadership Council (YLC) have joined forces with other
teens and scientists across the United States as part of “National Drug Facts Week” (NDFW).
The week-long health observance, organized by the National
Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA),
part of the National Institutes of Health, takes place Monday, January 27th through Sunday, February 2nd. NDFW celebrates the inquisitive minds
of teens by giving them a space (virtual or physical) to ask questions about
drugs and to get scientific answers from experts. As part
of the NDFW celebration, the Harmony Community Schools YLC students will have
displays/posters in their school, announcements made at the school, posters in
the community, share facts at the basketball games and an article in the local
newspapers. The Van Buren Community
Schools YLC students will have displays/posters in their school, a video shown
during lunches at school, handing out Shatter the Myths booklets to fellow
students, pass out facts on faux medicine bottles and posters in the
community.
About a third of high school seniors
across the country report using an illicit drug sometime in the past year, and
more than ten percent report non-medical use of a narcotic painkiller. While drugs can put a teenager’s health and
life in jeopardy, many teens are not aware of the risks. Even for those teens
who do not abuse drugs, many have friends or family who do, and they are often
looking for ways to help them.
We want teens to have the opportunity to
learn what science has taught us about drug abuse and addiction. There are so many myths about drugs
cluttering our popular culture. National
Drug Facts Week is for teens to get honest answers about drugs so they can make
good, informed decisions for themselves and share accurate information with
friends.
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