Drug prevention takes community involvement

Red Ribbon Week started in the 80s, and decades later the importance of educating our kids about the dangers of drug use is just as relevant.

Educating our kids starts at home, but it takes a commitment from our entire community. The Red Ribbon Week activities include fun things such as doughnuts and dress-up days for the kids, but the message is clear. Keeping kids away from drugs leads to healthier lifestyles and healthier choices as they grow up.

According to a 2017 study on Substance Abuse in Montana by the Montana Department of Justice, teens who use alcohol before age 15 are four times more likely to become addicted to alcohol later in life. And of those who use drugs before age 13, 70 percent will develop a substance abuse problem in the following seven years. According to the study, 19.6 percent of teens reported they drank alcohol before age 13 and 8 percent tried marijuana before age 13.

Red Ribbon Week sends a strong message to kids at school, and reinforcing the pledge to be drug-free is just as important at home. Help your kids make positive choices, and help trigger a downward trend in the alarming statistics on adolescent drug use.