INDIANAPOLIS — Sam's Watch is collaborating with the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health, to encourage Indiana middle and high schools to participate in National Drug Facts Week.
Sam’s Watch is a nonprofit organization started this year after 16-year-old academic honors athlete Sam Motsay died from using a little-known synthetic drug. Sam’s Watch provides Saving Alert Messages on the evolving drug dangers threatening young people.
“National Drug Facts Week provides an opportunity for young people to get science-based information about drugs and their effect on the body,” said Jeanine Motsay, Sam’s mother and president of Sam’s Watch. “But that can happen only if schools participate. I urge students and parents to encourage their school leaders to participate in National Drug Facts Week. It will save lives.”
The health observance takes place Monday, Jan. 26, through Sunday, Feb. 1. Schools working with Sam’s Watch will receive assistance in registration, a student contest with awards, poster campaigns, assemblies and parent meetings as well as communications and education. Sam’s Watch will select a participating school to receive a monetary award to support further drug prevention and awareness efforts.
National Drug Facts Week provides evidence-based facts and information by bringing together teens and scientific experts to shatter persistent myths about drug use and addiction. National Drug Facts Week is supported by many federal agencies, including the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP); the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at NIH; the Office of Safe and Healthy Students in the U.S. Department of Education; the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in the Department of Health and Human Services; the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in the U.S. Department of Justice; and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (HUD).
Today’s announcement will be followed by Sam’s Watch outreach to schools across the state. Any school seeking Sam’s Watch assistance to participate in National Drug Facts Week can contact the organization directly by email, info@samswatch.org, or phone, 888-575-1015.