Dear Friend,

This week marks National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week, meant to “educate and empower youth to make informed decisions about substance use and their health.” 

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 on facts, not stigma or fearmongering. Here are five facts everyone should know this National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week. 

FACT: Drug use is the second-highest source of student referrals to police. 
Criminalizing students for drug use can derail their future without getting them the help they may need. Ensuring access to education can provide a foundation for stability throughout someone’s life. Learn more on our Drug War Statistics page.   
FACT: Medications like methadone and buprenorphine are the most effective form of treatment for opioid use disorder. 
Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) can cut overdose risk in half but are hard to access because of strict regulations. Due to stigma, doctors may not even prescribe these lifesaving medications when they can. Learn more on our Increase Access to Addiction Services page. 

FACT: Drug prohibition leads to new and unknown illicit drugs, like fentanyl, entering the supply. 
Drug prohibition doesn't end demand. Crackdowns on heroin led suppliers to produce fentanyl. It was cheaper, more potent, and therefore more easily smuggled. Bans on one drug can lead to the emergence of new ones with potentially harmful effects. Learn more from our Fact Sheet: Health Approaches Pivotal to U.S. Overdose Death Decrease. 

FACT: Two weeks after prison release, on average people are 27x more likely to die of opioid overdose than the general population. 
In jails and prisons, drugs are present, effective treatment is rare, and overdose and dangerous withdrawals occur. After release, overdose risk skyrockets due to reduced tolerance, lack of follow-up care, and/or no change in circumstances that may be causing suffering. Learn more on our Prevent Overdose Deaths page. 

FACT: Combining opioids like fentanyl with other drugs can increase overdose risk.  
Most opioid overdoses can be reversed with naloxone (aka Narcan® or RiVive™). But naloxone can't reverse the effects of depressants or stimulants. Naloxone has no known harmful side effects, so it 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.