The word drugs. Most people, when they hear this word, back out of the situation, but there are some outliers. Drugs can ruin a person’s health, both mentally and physically, and can ruin their life. This is why this week at Lewis Cass, we will be participating in Red Ribbon Week. 

Red Ribbon week happens between October 23st through October 31st.  This campaign aims to raise drug awareness. This started in response to the murder of a DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) agent named Enrique Camarena. Enrique was a DEA agent and . In 1985, he was kidnapped by drug traffickers in Guadalajara, Mexico. This angered parents and people started wearing red ribbons as a symbol of their commitment to raising awareness of the killing and destruction caused by drugs. In 1988, the National Family Partnership sponsored the first official red ribbon week. It serves to educate youth and prevent drug use. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fifteen percent of high school students have used certain illicit or injection drugs, including cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine or ecstasy, in the past year. Fourteen percent have also claimed to misuse prescription opioids. Many teens turn to drugs due to family issues, such as drug use by a family member or lack of monitoring by the parents. Some also just pick up a drug habit due to general stress at school and life in general. Covid-19 has only made things worse. Time spent at home was sometimes used for marijuana use. Some even use drugs with their peers over technology. 

Lewis-Cass, Logansport, Pioneer, and Caston will be providing activities for Red Ribbon Week.  Junior-High students will be able to submit a Red Ribbon Essay and High-Schoolers will be able to submit a billboard design. In the past, Lewis-Cass has done things such as dress-up days for Red Ribbon week. Lewis-Cass in the past events have tried to make Red Ribbon Week fun and enjoyable to help spread awareness even more than just boring statistics and numbers. One example being a boot out drugs day in which students dress in country clothing. Another example being a say boo to drugs day where students were encouraged to dress up. It is days like those that help spread the message of Red Ribbon Week and help implant the ideas into our student’s brains. While it is not quite red ribbon week, we can expect Lewis-Cass to provide activities for Red Ribbon Week when the time comes. 

Red Ribbon week is a very good movement. It provides drug awareness for teens and shows the dangers of drugs. It pains me to think about when someone dies of a drug overdose. It is such a preventable death that was caused by the person’s drug use. We need to do more overall to help provide resources and help for people addicted to drugs and to help spread awareness to prevent more deaths. The more people are aware of the dangers of drugs, the more lives that will be saved. 

https://www.pharostribune.com/news/article_150d70c0-2143-11ec-bdbb-13f2aed49662.html

https://www.redribbon.org/

https://lckingscourier.net/21612/jh-king-news/activities/what-is-red-ribbon-week/