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You're invited to participate in National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week, sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. This week-long health observance is an opportunity for teens to learn the facts about drugs, alcohol, and addiction from scientists and other experts.

Organize and promote an educational event or activity for teens during the week of January 22–27, 2019, and help shatter the myths about drugs and alcohol. It's easy to get involved!

Report from the national Drug Enforcement Administration provides a yearly assessment of the many challenges local communities face related to drug abuse and drug trafficking. Highlights in the report include usage and trafficking trends for drugs such as prescription drugs, heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, and the hundreds of synthetic drugs. Read the full 2018 report here and a summary of key findings here.

One of every 11 U.S. high school students says they have used marijuana in an e-cigarette, according to a nationwide survey. That equals more than 2 million teens. Read full article here.

The National Institutes of Health report 2017 drug use data shows clear differences in substance use trends between college age adults and their non-college peers.

A study published in the journal Pediatrics found that low levels of chemicals in marijuana, like tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, were measurable in several mothers' breast milk up to six days after they said they smoked pot or ate an edible, among other forms of use.

The Washington State Department of Health’s, Marijuana Prevention and Education Program is excited to announce the launch of the Know This About Cannabis campaign.

This is the first statewide campaign directed at legal, non-medical consumers in Washington. Know This About Cannabis aims to increase awareness about the risks, rules, and responsibilities around retail, non-medical, cannabis use. Ultimately, our goal is to reduce impaired driving, prevent use while pregnant or breastfeeding, and keep cannabis products out of the hands of youth.

Adolescents who view more advertising for medical marijuana are more likely to use marijuana, express intentions to use the drug and have more-positive expectations about the substance, according to a new RAND Corporation study. 

Read more here. 

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Tips for Teens fact sheets provide information about the effects of short- and long-term use of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and inhalants. In 2018, SAMHSA released fact sheets for additional substances. These brochures provide facts and answer frequently asked questions about each of the substances covered. Fact sheets include:

On Monday, April 9, 2018, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) launched a statewide campaign, You Can, the next evolution of Listen2YourSelfie – DOH's first Marijuana Prevention and Education Program to educate youth about the health effects and consequences of using marijuana. The new campaign encourages young people to pursue their future dreams and immediate personal goals – and helps them to see that marijuana may distract from those dreams and goals.