Lock Your Meds Initiative is a Universal Prevention Campaign

January 11th, 2023 – Miami, FL– Did you know that 53% of misused medications come from family and friends, not a stranger/drug dealer or the internet? The Lock Your Meds® campaign, created by the National Family Partnership and its affiliate Informed Families/The Florida Family Partnership is a universal prevention campaign intended to save lives by preventing prescription drug misuse, which is the fastest growing substance misuse problem in America. 

Currently, the drug problem has a different identity and must be addressed with new combat tactics. To think that you, as parents and grandparents, could unknowingly be a supplier of prescription medications to your children is disturbing. Through our established, national network of supporters such as Community Impact North Carolina and Publix Pharmacy®, we can begin to educate our nation on the Lock Your Meds® initiative and help parents implement preventative steps to keep children and teens from accessing these medications. However, our work doesn’t stop here.

We want to grow and join forces with you, your community groups and your healthcare organizations that are not yet involved. We want to help arm each of you with the appropriate information and tools to be our Number One line of defense against this growing epidemic. The Lock Your Meds® campaign utilizes a variety of mediums to deliver its message, and all are available to you for use in your organization’s efforts and in your community. These resources can be found at https://lockyourmeds.org/spread-the-word/. 

As parents and guardians, you don’t have to feel helpless in this fight. You must be aware and take the appropriate steps to not share. Everyone can implement these preventative steps to help ensure your children have a drug-free future:

• Take frequent inventory of your medications, keeping track of quantities of both prescribed and over-the-counter medications.
• Lock your meds in a safe location where children cannot access them.
• Talk to your children regularly about the dangers of misusing prescription and over-the-counter drugs.
• Get involved by joining our campaign.
• Purchase a Vaultz® Lockbox to instill proper storage for your prescription medication at https://www.nfp.org/store. 

Knowledge helps save lives. In these last 25 years, it has taken more than just our core staff at NFP to share that knowledge of drug prevention with our nation. We are very thankful for all the parent groups, Red Ribbon Certified Schools, community groups, healthcare professionals and organizations that joined in our efforts to educate and nurture parents and families.

We are especially grateful to Community Impact NC and Publix Pharmacy® for their generous support of the Lock Your Meds® campaign. We look forward to continuing to support each of you on a national and local level, providing you with resources and a national voice.

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About the National Family Partnership

The National Family Partnership was established in 1980 and is a national leader in drug prevention, education, and advocacy. Its mission is to lead our nation’s families and communities in nurturing the full potential of healthy, drug-free youth. Red Ribbon Week is the nation’s largest and oldest drug prevention campaign. NFP created the campaign in response to the 1985 abduction and murder of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. In addition to the Red Ribbon Campaign®, NFP sponsors the Lock Your Meds® Campaign to prevent prescription drug abuse. Learn more about Red Ribbon Week at www.redribbon.org and NFP at www.nfp.org.

Red Ribbon Week is Recognized in the State of New Hampshire House

October 19th, 2022 – Miami, FL – On behalf of National Family Partnership, we would like to thank Congressman Chris Pappas and New Hampshire First Congressional District Constituents for recognizing Red Ribbon Week. Below you will find an excerpt of Congressman Chris Pappas addressing the House on October 16th, 2022.

Congressman Chris Pappas: Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of National Red Ribbon Week. In 1988, the National Family Partnership dedicated the week of October 23-31 to raising awareness about the dangers of drug use and the harm that drug trafficking brings to our communities. For the past 34 years the NFP has continued their work, raising awareness for families and schools in neighborhoods across New Hampshire.

For all too many New Hampshire families--including mine--the nation's drug crisis is deeply personal. Many of us have lost neighbors, friends, and loved ones to overdoses and the harmful effects of drug use in recent years. We have learned that the pain of addiction hurts not just one member of our community, but us all. As the representative for New Hampshire's First Congressional District, I remain firmly committed to improving the drug-detection capabilities of our law enforcement officials and will not stop calling for the resources to help those struggling with addiction to lead productive, healthy lifestyles. This is why I was proud to introduce the Dark Web Interdiction Act of 2022 as well as the National ACERT Grant Program Authorization Act. These bills work to strengthen our law enforcement's ability to go after those trafficking drugs on the dark web, as well as providing funding for law enforcement and service agencies to support children who have experienced a traumatic event, like witnessing a drug overdose by a loved one, to support their wellbeing and future success in life.

The mission of Red Ribbon Week to bring these issues into the light and to educate our youth about the dangers of drugs is critical to begin healing our state and our country. I am honored to work with the many New Hampshire partners taking on this challenge, including our healthcare and recovery workers, Drug Free Communities, First Responders, and law enforcement from the local state and federal level including the DEA High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program. Each partner carries on the mission to stop illicit substances from harming our communities, while never giving up hope for those in recovery.

On behalf of my constituents in New Hampshire's First Congressional District, I want to thank the National Family Partnership and the Drug Enforcement Agency for your work on this issue and hope my fellow Granite Staters will join me in recognizing the 2022 National Red Ribbon Week.

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About the National Family Partnership

The National Family Partnership was established in 1980 and is a national leader in drug prevention, education, and advocacy. Its mission is to lead our nation’s families and communities in nurturing the full potential of healthy, drug-free youth. Red Ribbon Week is the nation’s largest and oldest drug prevention campaign. NFP created the campaign in response to the 1985 abduction and murder of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. In addition to the Red Ribbon Campaign®, NFP sponsors the Lock Your Meds® Campaign to prevent prescription drug abuse. Learn more about Red Ribbon Week at www.redribbon.org and NFP at www.nfp.org.

 

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.