P.C. Coalition for Healthy Choices: National Drug Fact Week

National Drug Facts Week is an opportunity for teens, to shatter the myths about drugs and drug abuse. This year, it runs the week of January 25th-31st. In community and school events all over Amer-ica, teens, scientists and other experts will come together for an honest conversation about how drugs affect the brain, body and behavior. Drug Fact Week was launched in 2010 by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health. The purpose was to counteract myths that teens get from the internet, TV, movies, music or friends.

About a third of high school seniors report using an illicit drug sometime in the past year; more than ten percent report nonmedical use of potentially addictive prescription painkillers; and more than 20 percent report smoking marijuana in the past month. Many teens are not aware of the risks to their health, to their success in school and the dangers of driving under the influence. When teens are given the scientific facts about drugs, they can be better prepared to make good decisions for themselves and they can share information with others.

For more information on National Drug Fact Week, and to take the knowledge quiz, go to http://teens.drugabuse.gov/national-drug-facts-week.

Phillips County Coalition for Healthy Choices of Malta, provides substance abuse prevention for Phillips County. Activities include Responsible Alcohol Sales and Service Training, Alcohol Sales and Service Pol-icy Development, and sharing substance abuse information through pamphlets and press releases. For more information about substance abuse prevention in your community, call Carol Smith or Sonia Young at 654-2378.