ST. LOUIS — More and more people are dying from drug overdoses every year. The Drug Enforcement Administration wants to change those statistics by educating young people about the dangers of drugs.
Tuesday, the DEA will kick off Red Ribbon Week to discuss ways to fight this growing epidemic.
A special flag raising ceremony will take place outside the St. Louis Division Office around 10:15 a.m.
As part of this movement, the DEA is also launching the “Talk About It” campaign to get leaders and parents to talk to their kids about drugs.
Last year, more than 72,000 people lost their lives to drug overdoses, according to the DEA.
All this week, Special Agents and Task Force Officers will be visiting schools, in the St. Louis area, to talk about abusing drugs, prevention, and ways you can get help.
However, experts recommend that the conversation continue at home. Five on Your Side sat down with a panel of moms to talk about how they discuss drugs with their children.
Rachel Jackson said, “I’m just hoping his future is bright enough for all of them to say ‘nah I better pass on it’ because the side effects, we don’t know.”
“We’ve had this conversation long enough. We’ve been talking about it since you’ve been in fifth grade, we trust you. We trust that you understand that drugs are a poor, poor choice. And with some of the drugs that are available, it is a one-shot deal,” said Danielle Smith.
