Last year, the Freedom Tower, FTX Arena, Miami Tower, Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science, and other landmarks in Florida illuminated their building red in support of a drug-free lifestyle. The Red Ribbon Campaign® is now the oldest and largest drug prevention program in the nation reaching millions of young people during Red Ribbon Week®, October 23 – October 31 each year. It is a simple and brilliant way for people and communities to unite and take a visible stand against drugs.

Join us in increasing awareness and support for drug-free prevention in America and our youth.

WASHINGTON – The Drug Enforcement Administration is advising the public of an alarming emerging trend of colorful fentanyl available across the United States.  In August 2022, DEA and our law enforcement partners seized brightly-colored fentanyl and fentanyl pills in 18 states.  Dubbed “rainbow fentanyl” in the media, this trend appears to be a new method used by drug cartels to sell highly addictive and potentially deadly fentanyl made to look like candy to children and young people.

“Rainbow fentanyl—fentanyl pills and powder that come in a variety of bright colors, shapes, and sizes—is a deliberate effort by drug traffickers to drive addiction amongst kids and young adults,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “The men and women of the DEA are relentlessly working to stop the trafficking of rainbow fentanyl and defeat the Mexican drug cartels that are responsible for the vast majority of the fentanyl that is being trafficked in the United States.”

Brightly-colored fentanyl is being seized in multiple forms, including pills, powder, and blocks that resembles sidewalk chalk. Despite claims that certain colors may be more potent than others, there is no indication through DEA’s laboratory testing that this is the case.  Every color, shape, and size of fentanyl should be considered extremely dangerous.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.  Just two milligrams of fentanyl, which is equal to 10-15 grains of table salt, is considered a lethal dose.  Without laboratory testing, there is no way to know how much fentanyl is concentrated in a pill or powder. 

Fentanyl remains the deadliest drug threat facing this country.  According to the CDC, 107,622 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021, with 66 percent of those deaths related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.  Drug poisonings are the leading killer of Americans between the ages of 18 and 45.  Fentanyl available in the United States is primarily supplied by two criminal drug networks, the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

In September 2021, DEA launched the One Pill Can Kill Public Awareness Campaign to educate Americans about the dangers of fake pills.  Additional resources for parents and the community can be found on DEA's Fentanyl Awareness page.

If you encounter fentanyl in any form, do not handle it and call 911 immediately.

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On August 19^th, 2022, over 275 community leaders join Miami Community Newspapers to welcome U.S. Senator Marco Rubio at Evelyn Greer Park. National Family Partnership joined the recent luncheon alongside State Senator Ileana Garcia and Miami-Dade School Board Member, District 9, Luisa Santos. Senator Garcia is committed to develop funding and accessible resources for youth prevention. Recently, Senator Garcia secured $175,000 in state funding that will directly assist its “Foster Care to Independent Living” Program.

Peggy Sapp, President, and CEO of Informed Families and Volunteer President of National Family Partnership took the opportunity to speak in front of Senator Rubio.  “We need to advocate for 50% of all the Opioid Dollars coming down to states and communities to be allotted to prevention programs in schools, families and communities, stated Ms. Sapp. The 2022 Red Ribbon Theme is “Celebrate Life. Live Drug Free”, a nationwide campaign advocating for a drug-free environment and where hundreds of schools and families submit their photo of what it means to live drug-free. NFP’s mission is helping children reach their full potential. 

Thank you to the Miami Community News for hosting the Marco Rubio Luncheon and who continue to encourage future generations in America to live a healthy and drug-free lifestyle.

National Family Partnership recently held a survey in which recipients were asked how we could better serve their families.  How would you like to hear from us? Did you prefer tips, a newsletter or messaging? These were just some of the questions we asked. We are here to support and effectively serve our communities and we need YOUR HELP to make our community better and safer!

Those who participated were also placed in a random drawing for a $50 Gift Card to Publix Super Market. Our lucky winner that was randomly chosen was Rosalie Roybal of Lynwood Unified School District in Lynwood, California. Congratulations to Rosalie!

You’ve cleaned out the medicine cabinet and talked with your teen about avoiding alcohol and drugs, but despite your best efforts, your kid takes something they shouldn’t have. What now?  Fortunately, there’s an easy answer. The same poison control center that helped with your toddler can also help with your tween or teen. 

In 2020, about 14% of calls to poison control centers were about youth aged 6-19. In older teens, many calls are about intentional misuse, and even self-harm. Get fast, confidential help  for any potential poisoning by calling 1-800-222-1222. The doctors, nurses and pharmacists at your poison center will calmly walk you through what to do to protect your child from serious, or even fatal, poisoning. To find your local poison center, visit AAPCC.org, or call 1-800-222-1222 any time, 24/7.

Congratulations to both Abbigail Waters (left) and Joel Mesa (right), this year’s Enrique Camarena Red Ribbon Award recipients. This annual award recognizes and honors those who make significant contributions to the field of drug prevention.

Abbigail Waters is the youngest member of the Young Marines Alumni Association. Young Marines and volunteers make a commitment to make a difference personally as well as within their communities. Abbigail committed to Young Marines as a youth member in 2014. For 7 years, she not only learned the importance of teamwork, leadership, discipline, and the importance of living a healthy, drug-free lifestyle personally, but she also set the example for others to emulate. During her time in the program, Abbigail has completed over 200 hours of Drug Demand Reduction. Many of those hours were committed to making a difference in her community by spreading awareness during Red Ribbon Week, working with the Preventing Alcohol and Risk Related Trauma in Youth (P.A.R.T.Y) Program of the University of Colorado Hospital and Colorado State Patrol, leading presentations within her community, and creating new prevention projects. Beyond her prevention work, Abbigail Waters has committed nearly 1,500 community service hours to many other veteran’s service projects, Toys for Tots, Wreaths Across America, and color guards. This does not include the countless hours that she has spent developing her peers and later mentoring our youth as an alumnus.

Joel Mesa was a Youth Crime Watch Administrator/School Coordinator of Citizens’ Crime Watch of Miami-Dade County. He is certified as a Florida Crime Prevention Practitioner by the Office of the Attorney General. Joel administers the youth crime watch program of Citizens’ Crime Watch of Miami-Dade County. He has conducted over 2,000 youth crime prevention presentations on numerous safety topics to over 200,000 students during the last 23 years. He has trained principals, teachers, counselors, students, security monitors, and school resource officers on implementing youth crime watch programs in Miami-Dade County schools.

The results are in! The National Family Partnership is proud to announce the 20 winners of the 11th Annual National Red Ribbon Week^® Photo Contest. The winning photos were among hundreds of entries received and uploaded to RedRibbon.org. Ten winners received the most votes in their designated regions, and ten winners were chosen from a list of categories that included: Most Creative, Most Ambitious, Best Use of Theme, Best Use of Family and Community, Most Educational, and Best Use of School and Community. Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who participated. We hope you had as much fun taking the photos as much as we did viewing them. Click here to view the winners.

As a reminder, Red Ribbon themes are owned by The National Family Partnership and are protected under US copyright and trademark law. While we encourage teachers, educators and community partners to share the theme, we’d like to remind you that sharing and reprinting the theme logo should be for informational and educational purposes only and not used for profit. Theme materials cannot be altered, distributed or sold without our permission. If you are interested in producing Red Ribbon merchandise, please contact the National Family Partnership at info@nfp.org for information.

“I’d like to recognize Geniel Moon, a teacher at Murrieta Valley High School in Murrieta, California. Geniel has given selfishly over the past year during this pandemic. She has delivered over 500 items to various students in our school community. These items included T-shirts and  special treat bags to celebrate kids’ accomplishments. Not only did she continue to let her students know she cared, she also continued to do things for rest of the staff, including giving welcome back gifts and lunches. Geniel never stopped fighting for our students to have some normalcy. We are lucky to have a teacher such as Geniel Moon who truly cares about our school culture and our staff. “

~Cindy Muzic

Congratulations to J. Keagan Miller, this year’s Enrique Camarena Red Ribbon Award recipient. This annual award recognizes and honors those who make significant contributions to the field of drug prevention.

A current Unit Commander for the Miami Valley Young Marines of Ohio, Keagan has worked with the program for more than fifteen years. “I was surprised and very honored to even be considered for such a prestigious award,” he said. Kaylyn Lonergan who is the Drug Demand Reduction Coordinator for the organization nominated Keagan.

Keagan has enhanced the drug prevention platform by completing nearly 500 Drug Demand Reduction education hours, which he has used to amplify the Young Marines’ vigorous DDR efforts. His unit is a member of the Montgomery County Drug Free Coalition, which regularly collaborates with the Young Marines to enhance drug prevention efforts. Additionally, he and the Young Marines work with the Families of Addicts, a local group focused on recovery.

Keagan has spearheaded the development of drug prevention education videos that are used throughout the Young Marines’ organization. He has motivated his youth members to lead virtual classes, and has developed and hosted a nationwide virtual Healthy Drug-Free Lifestyle Challenge.

The Miami Valley Young Marines was founded in 1998 as the Dayton Young Marines. The organization promotes the mental, moral, and physical development of its members and focuses on teaching the values of leadership, teamwork, and self-discipline, so its members can live and promote a healthy, Drug-Free lifestyle. Under his leadership, the Miami Valley Young Marines has been recognized twice by the Department of Defense having received the Fulcrum Shield Award for excellence in youth anti-drug programs.

When not working with Young Marines, Keagan enjoys spending time with his wife Tina and their three kids, Ian, Kira, and Owen.

“There are many ways to make yourself happy in life. Drugs shouldn't be one of them,” he said. “Surround yourself with good people and good things happen.”