ROBINS AIR FORCE, Ga. -- S ince 1988, people have been celebrating Red Ribbon Week. The drug prevention program has reached millions of people since its inception.
The week began after a drug enforcement agency agent, Kiki Camarena, was killed in 1985 following Mexican drug traffickers.
During the last week in October, schools, offices and communities participate in pledging to take a stand against drug use.
At Robins, Joann Link, Drug Demand Reduction Program manager, said they do road shows each Friday during the month of October with literature and promotional items to educate people about the effects of drugs.
For the month of September, .69 percent of airmen in active duty, reserve and Air National Guard, tested positive for illegal drugs, Link said.
Overall, nearly half a million military members are tested each year in the Air Force. Of those, only 1.48 percent tested positive in fiscal 2016.
“The statistics are pretty low,” said Link.
The most common drug that people test positive on is marijuana. The second are prescription drugs.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, an estimated 23.9 million Americans in 2012 had used illicit drugs, about 9.2 percent of the population, age 12 and older.
“Some people think these things won’t happen to them,” Link said.
For more information about Red Ribbon Week or drug prevention, visit www.getsmartaboutdrugs.gov.