Tennessee has a drug problem: heroin. During 2016, prescription opioid abuse was at the top of the charts, and while it continues be a problem statewide, officials have taken steps to curb the problem. While it has been slowly on the decline, according to state officials, there has been an unintended consequence. With prescription pain pills becoming harder to attain, addicts have turned to another type of opioid in heroin. According to the latest numbers from the Department of Mental Health, in 2013, the number of patients seeking treatment from state facilities for heroin abuse was 454. By 2015, that number had jumped to 839.
To protect youth from the disastrous effects of abusing this and other drugs, Scientologists and others are teaming up with Drug-Free Tennessee to bring the truth about drugs to students during Red Ribbon Week.
Red Ribbon Week is a week-long celebration at the end of October to promote a drug-free lifestyle. The Red Ribbon has been worn as a symbol since 1985 when DEA Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena was murdered. Angered parents and youth in communities across the country began wearing Red Ribbons to show their commitment to raise awareness of the killing and destruction caused by drugs in America.
Volunteers will join with Drug-Free Tennessee for educational events and to distribute copies of The Truth About Drugs, a booklet that helps young people understand what drugs are and how they affect the user.
Drug-Free Tennessee is the local chapter of the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, an international non-profit organization. Its materials demonstrate the dangers of drugs through factual information and interviews with former addicts giving personal perspectives on each of the substances covered.
For more information on the Truth About Drugs, visit drugfreeworld.org. For more information on the Church of Scientology and its programs, visit Scientology.org.
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