It’s National Prevention Week! Drug Free America Foundation is joining communities around the nation to celebrate National Prevention Week sponsored by Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). National Prevention Week is about showcasing the work of organizations and communities across the nation devoted to raising awareness about the importance of substance use prevention and positive mental health.

This is critical as substance misuse and mental health affects all communities. National data highlights that in the United States:

  • About 61.2 million people ages 12 and older used illicit drugs in the past year,
  • 74 million people ages 12 and older used an e-cigarette, tobacco products, or other vaping device to vape nicotine in the past month, and
  • 8.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers.*

So join with us for “A Celebration of Possibility,” the tagline for this week which centers on coming together to celebrate all the possibilities including a brighter future thanks to prevention.

Below are activities you can engage in from the National Prevention Week platform along with highlights form our marijuana and pregnancy educational project.

*Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2022).  2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Detailed Tables.

Showcasing DFAF’s Marijuana and Pregnancy Educational Project

DFAF began a marijuana and pregnancy educational project thanks to a grant by the FL Department of Health in October. Since inception, we developed four educational resources in English, Spanish, and Creole; disseminated over 17,000 resources throughout the state; created videos; developed about 40 social media memes; delivered just under 3 million impressions and 48,000 impressions as part of our digital media campaign; established a FL Neonatal Marijuana Exposure Task Force; hosted three regional town halls; conducting an educational webinar series; and in process of developing an online training curriculum!

Can you join us in raising awareness about the harms of using marijuana during pregnancy by sharing social media graphics on your social media platforms? See below for samples to download and for the full suite of memes, click here. Make sure to tag us (social media handles below) and include the hashtag, #MarijuanaKnowTheTruth and the National Prevention Week hashtag, #NationalPreventionWeek23.

Facebook: @DrugFreeAmericaFndn

Instagram: @drugfreeamericafoundation

Twitter: @DrugFreeAmerica

To view all resources from this project, click here to be directed to the dedicated webpage.

National Prevention Week Activities

Share Your #MyPreventionStory

Download the Prevention Fill-It-In sheet to help you write your prevention story. Then print the My Prevention Story card and write why prevention is important to you. Share on social media using the hashtag, #MyPreventionStory in your post. Encourage others to share their perspective.

Play Prevention Bingo

Have fun with prevention by downloading the Prevention Bingo sheet and play Bingo! Upload a photo on social media and use the hashtag, #NationalPreventionWeek23.

Try this interactive version.

Complete a Prevention Crossword Puzzle

How well do you know about prevention? Play this interactive crossword puzzle now.

Prevention Word Search

How fast can you find words related to prevention and mental health? Print this word search and take a photo on social media using the hashtag, #NationalPreventionWeek23.

Prevention This or That?

Save the Prevention This or That? image to your phone, then upload to your Instagram or Facebook story by selecting the “+ your story” button and selecting the image. Select the “draw” button to circle your selection for each category. When finished, upload and use the hashtag, #NationalPreventionWeek23.