{"id":20254,"date":"2025-11-15T17:19:33","date_gmt":"2025-11-15T16:19:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/?p=20254"},"modified":"2025-12-07T18:08:27","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T17:08:27","slug":"red-ribbon-week-staying-drug-free-starts-with-awareness-conversations-and-choices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2025\/11\/red-ribbon-week-staying-drug-free-starts-with-awareness-conversations-and-choices\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Ribbon Week: Staying Drug-Free Starts with Awareness, Conversations and Choices"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

Red Ribbon Week and Cobb County School District, Georgia – Oct. 30, 2025<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n
Every October, schools across the nation celebrate <\/span>Red Ribbon Week<\/strong>, a time dedicated to promoting healthy, drug-free lifestyles for students of all ages. This year, the Cobb County School District and our school resource officers are joining forces to remind families that staying drug-free isn’t just a one-week message, but a lifelong commitment that begins with open and honest communication.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
\n

While traditional drugs are a concern,\u00a0School Resource Officer Edwin Ainsworth<\/strong>\u00a0says vaping has become one of the most visible and dangerous trends among students.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ainsworth explained that a distinct fruity scent is a telltale sign that students have been vaping. The smell of THC also doesn’t get past him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Officer Ainsworth estimates that as many as eight in ten high school students have tried vaping at least once.<\/span><\/p>\n

“These kids like them because they’re easy. They can pull them out and smoke them quickly. Some of them are odourless, some don’t even have smoke coming out of them, and kids can hide them,” he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond the discreet design and flavours, the health risks are real and long-lasting. “It can cause them to have a hole in their lung, and if they get really addicted, their attitude changes. They start being a little more defensive when you talk to them,” Ainsworth added, “If your lung capacity gets full with popcorn lung, you could end up on a ventilator.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Best Practices from Cobb Schools Police<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Cobb School Resource Officers emphasize that parents play the most powerful role in prevention. The best protection is to get involved.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Here are some strategies to help keep students drug-free!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n