NATIONAL RED RIBBON WEEK

This week is National Red Ribbon Anti-Drug Week. In the elementary schools, health teachers are informing children of the dangers of drug use and abuse. At the high school, a program has been arranged to have a presentation for certain grade levels.

The idea of Red Ribbon week came about to commemorate the murder of a drug enforcement agent killed in the line of duty, Enrique Camarena. You probably notice red ribbons showing up on public buildings and around the common. These ribbons should remind all of us to speak with our children about drug use and potential abuses.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is focusing their efforts this fall on the issue of underage drinking. The president of MADD, Karolyn Nunnallee, has coined the phrase “Underage Drinking is Just Not Thinking.” I met Karolyn through the BU Fellowship Program, Join Together. She is a committed and passionate individual concerning alcohol issues and the young. Just over ten years ago, Karolyn lost a daughter to a drunk driver. Since that time, she has focused her efforts on preventing tragic accidents for other parents through Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

In a recent presentation, Karolyn reported that survey findings show that driving after drinking by young people has leveled off and may be rising again after years of decline.

Young people are responding to society’s inconsistence messages of complacency by a broad spectrum of adults that it is OK to drink while under the legal drinking age of 21. From MADD’s point of view, underage drinking is not a rite of passage – it’s a deadly crime.

Our community has always taken the position that use of alcohol by minors is not acceptable. This message is carried out by the schools, the police and our local liquor licensees. We just need your held in getting the message out.