Although we urge young people to abstain from alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, our national surveys show that many do not heed our warnings. To prevent adolescents who do experiment from falling into abusive patterns, we need to create fallback strategies that focus on safety. Putting safety first requires that we be careful to provide our young people with credible information and resources. We also need to teach our teenagers how to identify and handle problems with alcohol and other drugs—if and when they occur—and how to get help and support.

Join us at the Safety First Project in advocating for reality-based approaches to drug education at home and in school that foster open and honest dialogue around the risks and consequences of drug use. We also invite you to critically examine random student drug testing, an invasive policy that can erode relationships of trust between students and adults at school and unintentionally direct students to more dangerous behaviors.

To learn more and become involved visit the Safety First website.