RED RIBBON WEEK A VERY USEFUL TOOL

The Coalition to Prevent Underage Drinking (CPUD) is joining with the
Corsicana Independent School District (CISD) to promote healthy, drug-free
lifestyles during Red Ribbon 2005.

"Red Ribbon Week (held last week) is about encouraging kids to be drug-free
and marking the progress we've made. Many teens are choosing not to use
drugs," said CPUD Chair, Ronnie Willis. "This campaign provides communities
with a forum to bring together parents, schools, and businesses as we look
for new and innovative ways to keep kids' drug free."

CPUD supplied Corsicana schools with 1,500 red wrist bands and 1,200 red
ribbons for students in grades six through 12 to demonstrate their
participation in this state-wide event.

About 215,000 Texas students in grades four through 12 participated in the
department's 2004 Texas School Survey of Substance Use, the largest of its
kind in the nation. The agency has been conducting the statewide survey
every two years since 1988. Among the findings:

Alcohol continues to be the most widely used substance among Texas students
with 68 percent of students reporting they had used alcohol at some point
in their lives. This percentage has dropped 4 percent since 2002, and the
past month use has dropped 6 percent.

The percentage of seventh through 12th graders reporting they had used
tobacco in the month before the survey fell again, from 18.2 percent in
2002 to 17.0 percent in 2004. Seventh graders reported a 21 percent
decline, and ninth graders reported an 18 percent drop.

Students at all grade levels have been showing a sharp decrease in Ecstasy
use in the past two years.

Marijuana remained the most commonly used illicit drug among students. 30
percent of all seventh through 12th graders in 2004 reported having smoked
marijuana at some point in their lives, down from 32 percent in 2002.
Past-month use of marijuana was 12.6 percent in 2004, compared to 14.4
percent in 2002. The percentage of seventh through 12th graders reporting
they had ever used any illicit drug remained stable in 2002.

Inhalant abuse declined for lifetime use but remained stable for past-month
use. The overall rate for lifetime use in 2004 was 17 percent and the past
month use was 7 percent. Like elementary students, both seventh and eighth
graders showed an increase in inhalant use during the past two years.

The first Red Ribbon Celebration was organized in 1986 by a grassroots
organization of parents concerned about the destruction caused by alcohol
and drug abuse. The red ribbon was adopted as a symbol of the movement in
honor of Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, an agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration who was kidnapped and killed while investigating drug
traffickers. The campaign has reached millions of children and has been
recognized by the U.S. Congress.

"Red Ribbon Week is a chance to be visible and vocal in our desire for a
drug-free community," Willis said. "Research shows that children are less
likely to use alcohol and other drugs when parents and other role models
are clear and consistent in their opposition to substance use and abuse."

For more information about Red Ribbon Week or prevention resources, visit
www.drugfreetexas.com/redribbon or contact the Coalition to Prevent
Underage Drinking at (903) 874-4263, cpud@swbell.net or www.dpri.com and
click on Community Coalitions.

Debbie Briggs, RN, serves as a school nurse for the Corsicana Independent
School District. She is a concerned parent and a member of the Coalition to
Prevent Underage Drinking.