Drug-Free South Reaches Out with the Truth About Drugs

To protect youth from the disastrous effects of abusing drugs, the Drug-Free South team is bringing the truth directly to students and the community across Tennessee.

Drug-Free South, the Tennessee chapter of the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, is intensifying its efforts to bring the Truth About Drugs to youth and adults alike.

Since 2009, the Drug-Free South Initiative has participated in festivals, been out on the streets, and gone to schools to spread its message as far and wide as possible. Brian Fesler coordinates the Tennessee campaign and says, “we’ve been from Lauderdale county to Johnson county and many more in between, but the point is we need to get this information into students’ hands before dealers get to them.”

Fesler said the Drug-Free South works with many organizations across Tennessee in its mission. “Drug problems cross all racial, religious and economic lines. There are a lot of government agencies and non-profits working hard on this issue, and we’ll work with anyone who has a heart and wants to help kids,” he says. “The message is ‘get the truth,’ ‘get the facts.’ We want to arm them with knowledge before someone makes them decide.”

The organization is planning a series of events at the end of October and early November, but representatives say they will gladly add to their calendar. “The more we do each and every day, the better off our kids will be. We are giving them a chance to choose a good, healthy life. That’s why we do what we are doing,” says Fesler.  

Drug-Free South is the Tennessee 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, visit drugfreesouth.org.