National Drug Facts Week Promotes Scientific Awareness among Teens

November Awareness Week Promotes Scientific Facts about Drugs for Teens was launched by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to bring together teens and scientific experts to discuss the facts about drug abuse. The week, starting on Monday, November 8, encourages community-based question and answer events between teens and scientists. NIDA provides an online toolkit to advise teens and their sponsoring organizations on how to create an event, publicize it, find a scientific expert, and gather scientific information on drugs.

The initiative is supported by multiple federal agencies, including the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, among others. Each agency will post National Drug Facts Week information on their Web sites and hold special events linking scientists to teens.

Knowledge is considered the most powerful tool to help teens make good, healthy, responsible decisions, said ONDCP Director R. Gil Kerlikowske. By empowering teens to think critically about drug use and its consequences, we can improve the health and safety of a generation.

Key Takeaways:

• National Drug Facts Week was launched by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to promote scientific awareness among teens about facts on drug abuse.
• The week encourages community-based question and answer events between teens and scientists.
• NIDA provides an online toolkit to advise teens and their sponsoring organizations on how to create an event, publicize it, find a scientific expert, and gather scientific information on drugs.
• The initiative is supported by multiple federal agencies, including the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, among others.
• The week starts on Monday, November 8, and events can be sponsored by a variety of organizations, including schools, community groups, sports clubs, book clubs, local hospitals, and more.
• High scorers of the National Drug IQ Challenge, a 20-question multiple choice quiz, will be rewarded with five additional Brainiac questions that focus on the brain.
• The National Institute on Drug Abuse is a component of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and supports most of the world's research on the health aspects of drug abuse and addiction.

Statistics:

• The week starts on Monday, November 8.
• The National Drug Facts Week Web site is available at http://drugfactsweek.drugabuse.gov/.
• The National Drug IQ Challenge can be found on the National Drug Facts Week Web site.
• High scorers of the quiz will receive 5 additional Brainiac questions that focus on the brain.

Sources:

• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
• White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
• Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools in the U.S. Department of Education
• National Guard
• U.S. Department of Justice