The Story Behind Red Ribbon Week

Enrique "Kiki" Camarena grew up in a dirt-floored house with hopes and dreams of making a difference.

Camarena worked his way through college, served in the Marines and became a police officer. When he decided to join the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, his mother tried to talk him out it. "I can't not do this," he told her. "I'm only one person, but I want to make a difference."

The DEA sent Camarena to work undercover in Mexico investigating a major drug cartel believed to include officers in the Mexican army, police and government. On Feb. 7, 1985, the 37-year-old Camarena left his office to meet his wife for lunch. Five men appeared at the agent's side and shoved him in a car. One month later, Camarena's body was found in a shallow grave. He had been tortured to death. 1

Within weeks of his death in March of 1985, Camarena's Congressman, Duncan Hunter, and high school friend Henry Lozano, launched Camarena Clubs in Imperial Valley, California, Camarena's home. Hundreds of club members pledged to lead drug-free lives to honor the sacrifices made by Camarena and others on behalf of all Americans.  These coalitions began to wear red badges of satin, red ribbons, as a symbol Camarena's memory. The Red Ribbon Week campaign emerged from the efforts of these clubs and coalitions.

Today, Red Ribbon Week is nationally recognized and celebrated, helping to preserve Special Agent Camarena's memory and further the cause for which he gave his life. The Red Ribbon Campaign also became a symbol of support for the DEA's efforts to reduce demand for drugs through prevention and education programs. By wearing a red ribbon during the last week in October, Americans demonstrate their ardent opposition to drugs. They pay homage not only to Special Agent Camarena, but to all men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice in support of our nation's struggle against drug trafficking and abuse.

Red Ribbon week starts today, October 17, and ends Sunday, October 25th.

Alcohol Abuse Stats

• Numerous studies suggest a significant relationship between work stress and the developement of drinking problems.
• About one in ten Americans currently has an alcohol problem
• In the United States, research has demonstrated that continued alcohol abuse is one of the major risk factors for violence in intimate relationships.
• Research has shown that long-term drug and alcohol abuse costs business and industry an estimated $100 billion annually. Alcoholism alone causing 500 million lost work days a year.
• 7.5% of Americans employed in full-time jobs report heavy drinking, defined as drinking five or more drinks per occasion on five or more days in the past 30 days; 6.6% of part-timers and 10.8% of unemployed workers also report heavy drinking; across all three categories, heavy drinkers are most likely to be found in the 18 to 25 year old age group.
• Alcohol is typically found in the offender, victim or both in about half of all homicides and serious assaults, as well as in a high percentage of sex-related crimes, robberies, and incidents of domestic violence, and alcohol-related problems are disproportionately found among both juvenile and adult criminal offenders. 40% of all assaults and 50% of all homicides in the United States are alcohol related.

For an alcohol use assessment click the link below.
http://alcoholism.about.com/od/tests/l/blquiz_alcohol.htm

Insite - Vancouver

The 12-seat supervised injection room is just one part of the facility. After injecting, the 600 drug users who visit Insite on an average day are asked to move to a post-injection room where they can rest and rehydrate before going back onto the street. Townsend says that this time is used to make contact with the users, to educate them about safe injection practices, and to refer them to medical care for treatment of wounds or to detox facilities if the addict expresses interest in getting clean. In fact, staff can refer addicts directly to Onsite - a 30-bed detox facility located above Insite.  "We have a detox right above our heads, so people know that they can always ask to be admitted there - it's really about making things as easy as possible," says Townsend. "But the first step is just making contact with people who have traditionally been alone in the alleys or in hotel rooms injecting drugs on their own. These people don't usually have any contact with health services, so that's why we've seen that going to Insite makes users 30 per cent more likely to seek treatment for drug addiction."

"While there is nothing to be said in favour of the injection of controlled substances that leads to addiction, there is much to be said against denying addicts health care services that will ameliorate the effects of their condition," Justice Ian Pitfield wrote. "I cannot agree with the submission that an addict must feed his addiction in an unsafe environment when a safe environment that may lead to rehabilitation is the alternative."

Drug Free Work Week

October 19th thru October 25th is Drug Free Work Week.

Here are some ideas for your drug free work place.

Would you know what you're looking at?

If you were to find something strange in your child's room, employee break room at work, friend's car, or even on the side of the street would you know what you were looking at?

Black Tar Heroine

Cocaine

Crack

Heroine

Hallucinogenic Mushrooms

Opium

Instructions for Doing Drugs

http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/showthread.php?t=146981 -- Tips and tricks to snorting coke

http://www.lectlaw.com/files/drg23.htm  ---  How to shoot Heroine

http://www.topix.com/forum/drug/oxycontin/T27SEP3SH2F3DKTOF -- Oxycontin

http://www.geocities.com/alustriel1/Heroin/howtoshoot.htm -- More about Heroine


As a parent the responsiblity really does fall to you to keep your children off drugs.  The resources are out there for them to figure it out on their own.  Is that really what you want?

Red Ribbon Week

Red Ribbon Week is Oct. 17-23