For International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Drug-Free Tennessee Took to the Edgehill Neighborhood to Distribute Copies of the Truth About Drugs Booklet.

For International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Drug-Free Tennessee took to the Edgehill neighborhood to distribute copies of the Truth About Drugs booklet.

In 2013, neighborhoodscout.com listed Edgehill as the 18^th most dangerous neighborhood in the United States. And in 2015, the Tennessean newspaper reported that police were cracking down on drug production in the area, with two individuals sentenced to prison after police found several pounds of methamphetamine in each of their homes, one home had roughly $20,000 worth. So the Drug-Free Tennessee marched through the area this past weekend on International Day Against Drug Abuse to distribute more than 300 booklets to residents.

International Day Against Drug Abuse was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1987. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime is leading the global campaign to raise awareness about the major challenge that illicit drugs represent to society as a whole, and especially to the young. The goal of the campaign is to mobilize support and inspire people to act against drug use, according to unodc.org.

Drug-Free Tennessee is a chapter of the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, which has the goal to educate children and youth across the world to effectively prevent the demand for drugs. Every year, the Foundation holds events that tie into the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Rev. Brian Fesler who coordinates Drug-Free Tennessee said, “We are committed to bringing the truth about drugs to everyone.  When youth know what they are really getting into, they have a chance to avoid a lot of pain and suffering.” Fesler says it can’t be done in a day and his organization is committed to working continuously to curb the drug epidemic. “We will go to anyone, anywhere in the region to spread the Truth About Drugs message,” he says, referring to the educational component of the program.

The Foundation for a Drug-Free World provides an educational curriculum for students designed to give all of the basic facts of how drugs affect the body and mind, common street names and more. In Tennessee, volunteers travel to schools and give lectures to students on these materials and provide more information for teachers to use after they’ve gone.

To learn more, order booklets or schedule a visit to your school, group or congregation, visit drugfreetn.org.