While the abuse of illicit and prescription drugs endangers lives and families in cities across America, there are those who are striking back at the heart of this problem. For three days, September 25th – 27th, more than seventy volunteers organized by the Foundation for a Drug-Free World hit the streets throughout the Tampa Bay area, reaching Clearwater Beach, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Ybor City and Ocala with anti-drug educational brochures. The booklets they handed out, called The Truth About Drugs, educate young and old alike on the dangers and addictiveness of both illegal and over-the-counter drugs.
“When a young person is offered a drug by a friend or acquaintance, they may hear how cool it is or how much fun they’ll have when they are high,” said Julieta Santagostino, the Director of the local chapter of the Foundation for a Drug-Free World. “They may never hear about the dangers, how easy it is to become addicted to many of these drugs, how easy it is to overdose, until it is too late.”
With this in mind, young volunteers (and some not so young) wearing distinctive turquoise t-shirts criss-crossed urban and beach landscapes, handing out booklets with a smile and an answer to questions about drugs or their organization. In all, more than 8000 booklets were distributed by the volunteers that weekend.
“More than a million Floridians use an illicit drug or abuse a prescription drug each month. Cocaine users number 350,000 in our state and more than twice that number abuse pain relievers,” added Julieta. “In order to drive those numbers down, we need to bring home the message that drug abuse can result in addiction, imprisonment or even death. Our goal is to create a drug-free world. Giving out free information like this is one of the ways we want to help people make better choices.”
The Foundation for a Drug-Free World provides multimedia materials and copies of these informational booklets to assist individuals and groups with correct information. You can avail yourself of these materials free of charge by visiting their website at www.drugfreeworld.org.