Behavioral Health

July 21, 2021

Red Ribbon Week OCTOBER 23-31

20 Ways to Promote Red Ribbon Week in Your Communities and Schools

There are lots of ways to celebrate Red Ribbon Week and every part of your community can get involved. Here are some ideas.

Communities Can:

Contact your elected officials about issuing a proclamation declaring Red Ribbon Week in your community.
Invite elected and government officials to participate in Red Ribbon Week activities.
Display a basket of red ribbons in the reception area of your organization for visitors to take, along with copies of the Red Ribbon Week fact card.
Display red ribbons on the interior and exterior surfaces of your organization’s building.
Sponsor a special drug abuse prevention seminar for the community. Invite a speaker who is an expert on drug prevention and invite the community to attend.
Submit a public service announcement about Red Ribbon Week activities to your local radio station.
Sponsor an in-service educational program for your employees and community leaders.
Organize a drug prevention awareness fair. Invite local nonprofit organizations to participate by staffing exhibit booths, disseminating educational materials, offering free health screenings, and much more.
Set up and staff an exhibit table at a local hospital, doctor’s office, community center, or shopping center to promote Red Ribbon Week and to distribute drug prevention information and materials.
Post fact sheets and Red Ribbon Week event notices and other materials on community webpages, and on bulletin boards in libraries, hospitals, local churches, synagogues, gymnasiums, grocery stores, parks and recreation departments, health clinics, universities, and other public places.

Schools Can:

Wear red ribbons and distribute them to your friends, family, volunteers, staff, and employees.
Sponsor a Red Ribbon Week activity (e.g., fun run; bike-a-thon; bookmark, poster, or essay contest; classroom door decorating contest).
Incorporate drug prevention facts and tips in your school-wide announcements and websites throughout Red Ribbon Week. Create a bulletin board display about Red Ribbon Week and post it in a high traffic area of your school.
Have a Red Ribbon Rally with performances by local talent or school groups.
Have a school assembly (everyone can wear red) and invite a law enforcement officer to speak about the dangers of drug abuse.
Do a drug prevention and refusal skills presentation for your classmates.
Promote Red Ribbon Week at your school’s sporting events by handing out red ribbons, providing information about Red Ribbon Week, and having parents and students take a drug-free pledge.
Sponsor an in-service training on drug prevention education for school administrators, teachers, counselors, nurses, and other staff.
Start a Red Ribbon Week Club that meets regularly to promote drug prevention throughout the year.
Sponsor a health fair and invite health and safety workers from the community to provide educational materials to students and parents.

https://www.dea.gov/education-prevention/redribbon

DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION (DEA)
RED RIBBON PATCH PROGRAM

What is the DEA Red Ribbon Patch Program?

The DEA Red Ribbon Patch Program is designed to provide Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts the opportunity to earn a patch from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) by performing anti-drug activities to commemorate Red Ribbon Week. The purpose of the Patch Program is to empower young people to engage in a drug-free activity and strengthen their anti-drug beliefs. This initiative seeks to empower young people to create, embrace, and strengthen their drug free beliefs.

What are the Red Ribbon Patch Program Dates?

All activities should be completed between July 1 – November 30.

Who can participate in the program?

All Boy and Girl Scouts are eligible to participate. 1 patch per scout, per program year.

How to Earn the Red Ribbon Patch:

Each scouting unit or troop must coordinate a Red Ribbon Week activity in the community or school.
Each scout must attend a drug use prevention education session.
Each scout must take the DEA Drug-Free Pledge.
The scout leader must submit the online ‘Activity Report’ to www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com DEA’s website for parents, caregivers, and educators.

For more information about the program or to obtain the Scout Leader Toolkit, please visit www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com. You may also contact the Community Outreach & Prevention Support Section at 202-307-7936 or e-mail at Community.Outreach@usdoj.gov.

https://www.getsmartaboutdrugs.gov/get-involved/red-ribbon-week-patch-program

July 20, 2021

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Community Outreach & Prevention Support Resources

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
Community Outreach & Prevention Support Resources

These publications are some of DEA’s most popular resources that offer information on the effects of illegal drugs and misuse of prescription drugs. The publications are available for download, print, and to share with your family and community.

DEA Community Outreach & Prevention Support Section

DEA’s primary mission and responsibility as a law enforcement agency is to enforce the Nation’s federal drug laws.

DEA recognizes that not only reducing the quantity (supply) of drugs is essential to a safe and drug free country, but also reducing the desire (demand) for illicit drugs is a vital component to effectively reduce drug use in our Nation. For that reason, DEA created the Community Outreach Section as a critical complement to our primary law enforcement mission and included drug use prevention as one of the seven priorities in DEA’s vision:

“Support initiatives to reduce the demand for drugs and give assistance to community coalitions and drug prevention initiatives.”

DEA’s Community Outreach Section provides the public with current and relevant drug information about illicit drug use, the misuse of prescription drugs, drug use trends, and the health consequences of drug use.

The Community Outreach Section also develops drug information brochures, drug fact sheets, pamphlets, and parent/teacher drug education guides to assist the community in identifying drug use and finding help.

Another major component of the Community Outreach Section is collaboration with various drug use prevention partners. These partners include other federal agencies, national and regional prevention organizations, law enforcement organizations, community coalitions, fraternal and civic organizations, youth-serving organizations, state and local governments, and school districts. DEA supports our partners, who present significant opportunities for involvement in prevention efforts by providing drug trend information at local community events as well as at national conferences and professional educational forums.

DEA’s Community Outreach Strategy

DEA’s Community Outreach strategy is to develop and disseminate effective drug information for youth, parents, caregivers, and educators, and to increase the public’s awareness about the dangers associated with using drugs. There are three major concepts of drug use prevention research at the core of this strategy:

Parents and teens alike need to know that the brain continues to develop to age 25. In particular, the frontal cortex, which carries out mental processes such as thinking, decision making, and judgment, is not fully developed until that age; therefore, it’s vitally important that youth and young adults refrain from drug use as this use will affect brain development.
When youth and young adults perceive that drug use is harmful and risky, drug use dramatically declines.
The longer youth and young adults delay drug use, addiction and/or substance use disorders are significantly reduced.

Websites

DEA provides essential information about the harmful effects of illicit drug use through our educational materials and three websites, www.justthinktwice.com for teens, www.getsmartaboutdrugs.com for parents, educators, and caregivers, and www.campusdrugprevention.gov for those working with college students. We have also partnered with Discovery education to produce a science-based drug prevention curriculum which can be found at www.operationprevention.com.

Just Think Twice

www.JustThinkTwice.com

DEA’s website for teens, www.JustThinkTwice.com provides credible information about the harmful effects of drug use. The site includes information about various drugs, including facts and fiction about drugs, the consequences of drug use, as well as topics about addiction, impaired driving, and true stories about teens that have had drug problems.
The site provides descriptions of specific drugs, such as marijuana, Spice/K2, bath salts, and heroin, as well as the drugs’ street names, effect on the mind and body, overdose effects, legal status, and origin.

Get Smart About Drugs

www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com

DEA’s website for parents, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com provides valuable drug education information for parents, educators, and caregivers to further help identify drug use, drug paraphernalia, warning signs of drug use, and the harmful side effects of the most commonly abused drugs.

Campus Drug Prevention

www.CampusDrugPrevention.gov

DEA’s website, www.campusdrugprevention.gov was created to support drug abuse prevention programs on college campuses and in surrounding communities. In addition, it serves as a useful tool for college students, parents, and others involved in campus communities.
It offers valuable information, including data, news updates, drug scheduling and penalties, publications, research, national and statewide conferences and events, state and local prevention contacts, and resources available from DEA’s federal partners.

Operation Prevention

www.OperationPrevention.com

Operation Prevention is an initiative brought to you by the DEA and Discovery Education to educate elementary, middle, and high school students about the true impacts of prescription opioid misuse and heroin use.

Operation Prevention provides science-based lesson plans to educate students about the impacts of opioid misuse. The program is free of charge and the elements are available for download at www.OperationPrevention.com

Operation Prevention Parent Toolkits

Workplace Modules

Opioid and Rx student modules

Elementary School

Middle School

High School

Multi Drug Topics

Publications

These publications provided by the Community Outreach & Prevention Support Section are some of DEA’s most popular resources available for download, print, and to share with your family and community. They offer information on the effects of illegal drugs and misuse of prescription drugs.

For a list of all of DEA’s publications that can be downloaded, go to www.getsmartaboutdrugs.com and click on “Download DEA Publications.”

Drug Facts Cards

Drug Facts

DEA Demand Reduction Coordinators by State/Territory

While the Drug Enforcement Administration’s primary function is to enforce the nation’s federal drug laws, we understand that law enforcement alone cannot solve America’s drug problems. DEA Demand Reduction Coordinators work with individuals and groups such as community coalitions, civic leaders, state and local drug use prevention organizations, treatment experts, and the general public, and they provide DEA’s unique expertise in the areas of intelligence and enforcement. By joining DEA’s law enforcement credibility and insights with communities’ know-how, drug use prevention efforts have been strengthened in urban, suburban, and rural areas across America.

ALABAMA: SA Brainard (Bryan) Singleton, 3838 North Causeway Boulevard, Suite 1800, 3 Lakeway Center, Metairie
LA 70002. Phone: (571) 362-4892, E-mail: brainard.singleton@usdoj.gov

ALASKA: SA Susan Wolf 300 5th Avenue, Suite 1300, Seattle, WA 98104. Phone: 571-387-3426
E-mail: Susan.M.Wolf@usdoj.gov

ARIZONA: SA Melissa Lee, 3010 North 2nd Street, Suite 100, Phoenix, AZ 85012. Phone: (571) 362-0590
E-mail: melissa.a.lee@usdoj.gov

ARKANSAS: SA Brainard (Bryan) Singleton, 3838 North Causeway Boulevard, Suite 1800, 3 Lakeway Center, Metairie
LA 70002. Phone: (571) 362-4892, E-mail: brainard.singleton@usdoj.gov

CALIFORNIA: SA Khanh Vo, 255 East Temple Street, 20th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90012, Phone: (571) 387-6616
E-mail: khanh.d.vo@usdoj.gov (Los Angeles Division: Riverside, Santa Ana, Ventura)

CALIFORNIA: SA Kameron Korte, 4560 Viewridge Avenue, San Diego, CA 92123-1672, Phone: (571) 324-6684
E-mail: kameron.d.korte@usdoj.gov (San Diego Division: Carlsbad, Imperial County, San Ysidro)

CALIFORNIA: SA Casey Rettig, 450 Golden Gate Avenue, 14th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94102, Phone: (571) 387-3774
Email: casey.m.rettig@usdoj.gov (San Francisco Division: Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto, Oakland, Redding, Sacramento, San Jose, Santa Rosa)

COLORADO: SA Steve Kotecki, 12154 East Easter Avenue, Centennial, CO 80112, Phone: (571) 387-2399
E-mail: Richard.S.Kotecki@usdoj.gov

CONNECTICUT: SA Timothy Desmond, 15 New Sudbury Street, Room E-400, Boston, MA 02203, Phone: (571) 362-9037
E-mail: timothy.desmond@usdoj.gov

DELAWARE: Robert Niczyporowicz, 600 Arch Street, Suite 10224, Philadelphia, PA 19106, Phone:(571) 362-
4289. E-mail: Robert.R.Niczyporowicz@usdoj.gov

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: SA Heath Anderson, 800 K Street, NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20001-8000
Phone: (571) 362-1069, E-mail: heath.d.anderson@usdoj.gov

FLORIDA: SA Oscar Negron, 2100 North Commerce Parkway, Weston, FL 33326, Phone: (571) 362-3046
E-mail: oscar.j.negron@usdoj.gov

GEORGIA: SA Chuvalo Truesdell, 75 Ted Turner Drive, SW, Suite 800, Atlanta, GA 30303, Phone: (571) 362-3517
E-mail: chuvalo.j.truesdell@usdoj.gov

HAWAII: SA Khanh Vo, 255 East Temple Street, 20th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90012, Phone: (571) 387-6616
E-mail: khanh.d.vo@usdoj.gov

IDAHO: SA Susan Wolf, 300 5th Avenue, Suite 1300, Seattle, WA 98104, Phone: (571)-387-3426
E-mail: Susan.M.Wolf@usdoj.gov

ILLINOIS: SA Gregory Czaczkowski, 230 South Dearborn Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL 60604, Phone: (571) 362-6048
Email: gregory.j.czaczkowski@usdoj.gov

INDIANA: SA Gregory Czaczkowski, 230 South Dearborn Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL 60604, Phone: (571) 362-6048
Email: gregory.j.czaczkowski@usdoj.gov

IOWA: Erin Payne, 2707 North 108th Street, Suite D-201, Omaha, NE 68164, Phone: 571-387-3550
E-mail: erin.k.payne@usdoj.gov

KANSAS: SA Ryan Lawyer, 317 South 16th Street, St. Louis, MO 63103, Phone :(571)-362-7552
E-mail: ryan.d.lawyer@usdoj.gov

KENTUCKY: Lourdes Bowen, 600 Doctor Martin Luther King Junior Place, Louisville, KY 40202, Phone: (571) 362-6950
Email: lourdes.m.bowen@usdoj.gov

LOUISIANA: SA Brainard (Bryan) Singleton, 3838 North Causeway Boulevard, Suite 1800, 3 Lakeway Center, Metairie
LA 70002, Phone: (571) 362-4892, E-mail: brainard.singleton@usdoj.gov

MAINE: SA Timothy Desmond, 15 New Sudbury Street, Room E-400, Boston, MA 02203, Phone: (571) 362-9037
E-mail: timothy.desmond@usdoj.gov

MARYLAND: SA Heath Anderson, 800 K Street, NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20001-8000, Phone: (571) 362-1069
Email: heath.d.anderson@usdoj.gov

MASSACHUSETTS: SA Timothy Desmond, 15 New Sudbury Street, Room E-400, Boston, MA 02203, Phone:(571) 362-
9037, E-mail: timothy.desmond@usdoj.gov

MICHIGAN: SA Niklaus Welter, 431 Howard Street, Detroit, MI 48226, Phone: (571) 362-1658
E-mail: Niklaus.P.Welter@usdoj.gov

MINNESOTA: Erin Payne, 2707 North 108th Street, Suite D-201, Omaha, NE 68164, Phone: 571-387-3550
E-mail: erin.k.payne@usdoj.gov

MISSISSIPPI: SA Brainard (Bryan) Singleton, 3838 North Causeway Boulevard, Suite 1800, 3 Lakeway Center, Metairie
LA 70002, Phone: (571) 362-4892, E-mail: brainard.singleton@usdoj.gov

MISSOURI: SA Ryan Lawyer, 317 South 16th Street, St. Louis, MO 63103, Phone: (571) 362-7552
E-mail: ryan.d.lawyer@usdoj.gov

MONTANA: SA Steve Kotecki, 12154 East Easter Avenue, Centennial, CO 80112, Phone: (571) 387-2399
E-mail: Richard.S.Kotecki@usdoj.gov

NEBRASKA: Erin Payne, 2707 North 108th Street, Suite D-201, Omaha, NE 68164, Phone: (571) 387-3550
E-mail: erin.k.payne@usdoj.gov

NEVADA: SA Khanh Vo, 255 East Temple Street, 20th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90012, Phone: (571) 387-6616
E-mail: khanh.d.vo@usdoj.gov

NEW HAMPSHIRE: SA Timothy Desmond, 15 New Sudbury Street, Room E-400, Boston, MA 02203, Phone:(571)
362-9037, E-mail: timothy.desmond@usdoj.gov

NEW JERSEY: SA Tim McMahon, 80 Mulberry Street, 2nd Floor, Newark, NJ 07102, Phone: (973) 776-1143
E-mail: timothy.p.mcmahon@usdoj.gov

NEW MEXICO: Carlos Briano, 660 Mesa Hills Drive, Suite 2000, El Paso, TX 79912, Phone: (571) 324-7093
E-mail: Carlos.A.Briano@usdoj.gov

NEW YORK: SA Gregory Saunders, 99 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011, Phone: (571) 776-1610
E-mail: gregory.p.saunders@usdoj.gov

NORTH CAROLINA: SA Chuvalo Truesdell, 75 Ted Turner Drive, SW, Suite 800, Atlanta, GA 30303, Phone: (571) 362-3517
E-mail: chuvalo.j.truesdell@usdoj.gov

NORTH DAKOTA: Erin Payne, 2707 North 108th Street, Suite D-201, Omaha, NE 68164, Phone: (571) 387-3550
E-mail: erin.k.payne@usdoj.gov

OHIO: SA Niklaus Welter, 431 Howard Street, Detroit, MI 48226, Phone: 571 362-1778
E-mail: Niklaus.P.Welter@usdoj.gov

OKLAHOMA: SA Angelica Gurrola, 10160 Technology Boulevard East, Dallas, TX 75220, Phone: (571) 324-7438
E-mail: angelica.gurrola@usdoj.gov

OREGON: SA Susan Wolf, 300 5th Avenue, Suite 1300, Seattle, WA 98104, Phone: (571)-387-3426
E-mail: Susan.M.Wolf@usdoj.gov

PENNSYLVANIA: Robert Niczyporowicz, 600 Arch Street, Suite 10224, Philadelphia, PA 19106, Phone:(571) 362-
4289,E-mail: Robert.R.Niczyporowicz@usdoj.gov

PUERTO RICO: Jacqueline Gordon, Millennium Park Plaza, Building 15, Calle 2, Suite 710, Guaynabo, PR 00968-1743
Phone: (571) 362-2119, E-mail: jacqueline.r.gordon@usdoj.gov

RHODE ISLAND: SA Timothy Desmond, 15 New Sudbury Street, Room E-400, Boston, MA 02203, Phone: (571)362-
9037, E-mail: timothy.desmond@usdoj.gov

SOUTH CAROLINA: SA Chuvalo Truesdell, 75 Ted Turner Drive, SW, Suite 800, Atlanta, GA 30303, Phone: (571) 362-3517
E-mail: chuvalo.j.truesdell@usdoj.gov

SOUTH DAKOTA: Erin Payne, 2707 North 108th Street, Suite D-201, Omaha, NE 68164, Phone: (571) 387-3550
E-mail: erin.k.payne@usdoj.gov

TENNESSEE: Lourdes Bowen, 600 Doctor Martin Luther King Junior Place, Louisville, KY 40202, Phone: (571) 362-6950
E-mail: lourdes.m.bowen@usdoj.gov

TEXAS: SA Angelica Gurrola, 10160 Technology Boulevard East, Dallas, TX 75220, Phone: (571) 324-7438
E-mail: angelica.gurrola@usdoj.gov (Dallas Division: Ft. Worth, Lubbock, Tyler)

TEXAS: Carlos Briano, 660 Mesa Hills Drive, Suite 2000, El Paso, TX 79912, Phone: (571) 324-7093
E-mail: Carlos.A.Briano@usdoj.gov

TEXAS: Dawn Mathis, 1433 West Loop South, Suite 600, Houston, TX 77027-9506, Phone: (571) 324-8269
E-mail: dawn.m.mathis@usdoj.gov (Houston Division: Austin, Beaumont, Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Del Rio, Eagle Pass, Galveston, Laredo, McAllen, San Antonio, Waco)

UTAH: SA Steve Kotecki, 12154 East Easter Avenue, Centennial, CO 80112, Phone: (571) 387-2399
E-mail: Richard.S.Kotecki@usdoj.gov

VERMONT: SA Timothy Desmond, 15 New Sudbury Street, Room E-400, Boston, MA 02203, Phone: (571)362-9037
Email: timothy.desmond@usdoj.gov

VIRGINIA: SA Heath Anderson, 800 K Street, NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20001-8000, Phone: (571) 362-1069
Email: heath.d.anderson@usdoj.gov

WASHINGTON: SA Susan Wolf, 300 5th Avenue, Suite 1300, Seattle, WA 98104, Phone: (571)-387-3426
E-mail: Susan.M.Wolf@usdoj.gov

WEST VIRGINIA: Lourdes Bowen, 600 Doctor Martin Luther King Junior Place, Louisville, KY 40202, Phone: (571) 362-
6950, E-mail: lourdes.m.bowen@usdoj.gov

WISCONSIN: SA Gregory Czaczkowski, 230 South Dearborn Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL 60604, Phone: (571) 362-6048
E-mail: gregory.j.czaczkowski@usdoj.gov

WYOMING: SA Steve Kotecki, 12154 East Easter Avenue, Centennial, CO 80112, Phone: (571) 387-2399
E-mail: Richard.S.Kotecki@usdoj.gov

Headquarters
Main Office: (571) 776-2505
E-mail: community.outreach@usdoj.gov

Legend
ASAC = Assistant Special Agent in Charge
GS = Group Supervisor
SA = Special Agent

Updated April 12, 2021

Drug Information

Websites

Jump To

Red Ribbon Week OCTOBER 23-31

20 Ways to Promote Red Ribbon Week in Your Communities and Schools

DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION (DEA)
RED RIBBON PATCH PROGRAM

AXIS Health System Crisis Care

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Community Outreach & Prevention Support Resources

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
Community Outreach & Prevention Support Resources

DEA’s Community Outreach Strategy

Websites

Just Think Twice

Get Smart About Drugs

Campus Drug Prevention

Operation Prevention

Operation Prevention Parent Toolkits

Workplace Modules

Opioid and Rx student modules

Elementary School

Middle School

High School

Multi Drug Topics

Publications

Drug Facts Cards

Drug Facts

College Student Drug Prevention Info

PsychHub