First implemented more than three decades ago in 1985, National Red Ribbon Week, a week-long campaign to raise awareness about drug abuse, will kick-off on Monday.

“Red Ribbon Week comes from the 1980s when this guy died from a drug overdose and his mother wanted to raise awareness for this tragedy,” Humanities teacher Sarah Wiseman said. “It has developed into this nationwide drug awareness and abuse week in honor of him.”

With the recent reports about teen vaping, Wiseman believes that Red Ribbon Week’s message is especially important this year. 

“I definitely think that drug abuse is something that is always important to talk about, but there is this sense of urgency with this vaping crisis,” Wiseman said. “I heard a report about how the CDC has convened a health crisis panel on the vaping epidemic, similar to the one they held on zika. So this is really considered a national emergency and it does pack an extra punch this year.”

This message is not lost on students, as sophomore Sarah Head believes that next week is an important opportunity for students to understand the gravity of drug abuse. 

“I think raising drug awareness is really important so that kids can learn to make better decisions and not give in to peer pressure,” Head said. “A lot of kids don’t understand how bad drugs can be so, raising awareness is definitely good.”

On campus, Red Ribbon Week is also about campus spirit with sophomore Kelly Liu excited for the opportunity to dress up. 

“I think Red Ribbon Week is really important for high schoolers to learn about drugs and their effects, but I’m also excited to dress up,” Liu said. “I think it’s a fun way to raise awareness and also show school spirit.”