Red Ribbon Week Declared in Cumberland County

Cumberland County Mayor Allen Foster has declared October 23 through October 31 as Red Ribbon Week.

Since 1985 Red Ribbon Week has been a time to promote drug use prevention and honor a DEA agent who was killed by the Cartel. Cumberland County Rising Director of Prevention Education Julie Long said drug use is a topic parents should not shy away from when talking to kids.

“They’re never too young for you to start talking to them about drugs and the importance of staying away from them,” Long said. “That they don’t need them to have a good life, most kids think that they need drugs to have fun.”

Long said when she talks to students in school, she is asked most often about cannabis and vaping. Two topics Long said she has to clear up misconceptions on with high school students.

“A lot of people think that vaping is a lot safer than smoking regular cigarettes, and that’s really not true,” Long said. “The other big question I get is of course about marijuana because it’s safe, because it’s grown in the ground but what people don’t realize is that they’re not getting that straight marijuana anymore, it’s laced with other stuff.”

Julie Long’s group Cumberland County Rising is partnering with the Teens Against Drugs Center to sponsor the event locally. Long said Cumberland County Rising is an anti-drug coalition that tries to spread awareness in the community.

“I do an after school program with the kids who live in Crossville public housing, I also do a class with students who are first time offenders with drugs and alcohol,” Long said. “We do Narcan training, we provide medication lock boxes to anybody in our community who needs one.”

Cumberland County residents are being asked to wear red during the week to show support for the drug-free effort. Cumberland County Rising was founded in 2016.