Friend,

This week marks National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week, meant to “inspire dialogue about the science of drug use and addiction among youth.” 

Providing factual and non-stigmatizing information about drugs empowers everyone to make informed choices that can help them to be safer. Yet, most schools in the U.S. use abstinence-based drug education programs like D.A.R.E. These programs don’t give students the tools they need to make safer decisions or to get help if problems with alcohol and other drugs do occur. And they aren’t honest about the negative impacts of drug prohibition and criminalization. 

DPA's work is based in facts, not stigma or fearmongering. Here are five facts everyone should know this National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week. 

Crackdowns on heroin led suppliers to produce fentanyl. It was cheaper, more potent, and therefore more easily smuggled. Drug prohibition doesn't end demand. And bans on one drug can lead to the emergence of new ones with potentially harmful effects. New drugs like xylazine are overtaking some markets as a result of harsh crackdowns on fentanyl analogues. Learn more on our Xylazine Drug Facts page.

Criminalizing students doesn’t get them the help they may need. In fact, it can lead to them being cut off from programs that are most likely to help them succeed. Learn more on our Drug War Statistics page.

Medication assisted therapies are the gold standard, but are still stigmatized by some. Research shows patients who take methadone or buprenorphine are less likely to experience cravings and withdrawal and less likely to overdose than people who don't take these medications for their opioid use disorder. Learn more on our Substance Use Disorder Treatment page. 

Access to treatment, especially medication assisted therapies, is limited behind bars. That lack of support, combined with lowered drug tolerance after incarceration, leads to enormous overdose risk. Learn more on our Overdose page.

Most opioid overdoses can be reversed with immediate oxygen and/or naloxone (aka Narcan® or RiVive™). But naloxone can't reverse the effects of depressants or stimulants. Naloxone has no known harmful side effects, so is safe to try with any overdose. Learn more on our Fentanyl Drug Facts page. 

Knowledge is power when it comes to drugs. This Drug & Alcohol Facts Week, we hope you’ll visit and share our free resources on drugpolicy.org, especially our drug facts, drug war statistics, and resource library.