A Potent Force in the Battle against Drugs
- Every day, there are 520 drug-related deaths worldwide.
- Marijuana is the most widely used drug in the world. It is used five times more than opioids and ten times more than cocaine.
- Every 24 hours, more than 250 people place an order online for the Truth About Drugs materials.
- Drug-Free World is active in 171 countries worldwide.
From teachers fighting drug abuse in the schoolyard, to police officers spreading the truth about drugs on the streets— we are arming the millions with effective materials to eliminate the widespread use of drugs.
In the past year, Drug-Free World has held over 5,200 drug awareness events, educated over 1.2 million students on the harmful effects of drugs, and put Truth About Drugs booklets into the hands of 22.8 million people.
The materials are available to anyone anywhere, through drugfreeworld.org and all orders are provided free of charge, thanks to grants from the IAS.
Here is what a few individuals and groups using the materials had to say about the program:
“I was first introduced to the Truth About Drugs curriculum by way of the National Association of School Resource Officers. The curriculum has served as a foundation of drug prevention education for several years in my schools. The Truth About Drugs booklets allow me to focus on certain drugs and specifically target my audience on needs identified in my community. Stories I have heard from students while instructing can be alarming, but they also reinforce the need for this education. This became evident during a class this school year. One of my 6th grade students openly announced that both of her parents are heroin addicts, in front of the entire class. Afterwards, the same student approached me and asked if she could take the booklet home to help her understand more about the drugs her parents were using.” —School Resource Officer, USA
“I have been trying to educate people on the dangers of drugs after the death of my 23-year-old son who took one Ecstasy pill and died. I have been using your booklets for a while now. I go into schools and youth clubs, and I give your booklets to teachers and youth leaders. It has helped so many kids and adults. My campaign is all about education, so your booklets are invaluable to me for this reason.”
—Father, Ireland
“I have delivered 19 Truth About Drugs Educator Packages to six more schools in West Auckland. I am now expanding and will provide 184 Educator Packages to 59 New Zealand high schools. They have over 85,700 students who will benefit from these materials.”
—Volunteer, New Zealand
“We would like to thank you for all that you have provided for us! The Truth About Drugs Educator’s Guide, booklets, posters and videos have helped us immensely with our substance addiction prevention and education activities. The enriching information-filled materials you provided have given our residents the opportunity to become more educated on the subject. We use the materials regularly and the results have been astonishing! We have never seen our residents get so involved in group discussions, communicating and sharing their personal experiences, thoughts and opinions about drugs. Our residents even ask to have the activity every week, which is unprecedented! We would like to sincerely thank you once again for all that you have provided to us. As a non-profit organization, we often find ourselves with a tight budget. Your generous contribution is invaluable.”
—Social Worker, Canada
