The annual Red Ribbon Celebration launched Oct. 23 and continues through November. A commitment that binds millions to commit to raising the awareness of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, the Red Ribbon campaign also encourages prevention, early intervention and treatment services. The Red Ribbon Celebration is the largest, most visible prevention awareness campaign observed annually in the United States.
The Red Ribbon campaign honors Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, a Drug Enforcement Agency agent and former Marine, who was kidnapped and murdered by drug traffickers in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 1985. Members of Camarena’s hometown in Calexico, Calif., began wearing red ribbons as a tribute to his serve against the war on drugs after his death.
Institutions across America like the U.S. Armed Forces and public school systems, for instance, participate in the annual Red Ribbon Celebration. “The first thing in Red Ribbon Week is drug awareness,” said Joseph Angello, the Defense Department’s director of operational readiness and safety stated in an August 24 press release. “Drug use is a readiness issue. We are blessed with some of the finest men and women this nation has to offer. We don’t want them to be using drugs.”
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the prevalence of substance abuse among African American ages 12 to 17 is 13.5 percent, and ages 18 to 25 is 16.6 percent. Another recent event on the periphery of this year’s Red Ribbon celebration includes the estimated 12,000 federal prisoners expected to benefit from the extended scope of an amendment to the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, landmark legislation passed by Congress last year that aimed to reduce controversial disparities between crack and powder cocaine in federal sentencing.
- Narcotics Anoynomous – www.na.org
- Alcoholics Anonymous – www.aa.org
- Alanon (for family and friends of substance abusers) www.al-anon.alateen.org/home
