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Red Ribbon Week kick-off at MPD with Gov. Hassan, an annual drug prevention initiative.
On Oct. 24 Gov. Maggie Hassan visited Manchester Police Department to officially kick off Red Ribbon Week.
⇒Click here for activities and ideas to promote drug prevention.
Governor Hassan has supported law enforcement as part of her comprehensive strategy to combat the heroin, opioid and fentanyl crisis in New Hampshire, including signing a bipartisan measure earlier this year expanding Operation Granite Hammer statewide to support state and local law enforcement and continued collaboration with the DEA in combating the heroin and opioid crisis.
Last fall, Governor Hassan announced two state grants to support local law enforcement in seizing illicit drugs and arresting and prosecuting drug dealers, including the State’s partnership with the Manchester Police Department’s Operation Granite Hammer, and she included additional resources for the statewide expansion of that initiative as part of the comprehensive legislative proposal she put forward when calling for a special session of the legislature last November. To support law enforcement in combating this epidemic, the Governor has also worked to increase the safe and effective use of Narcan, crack down on fentanyl and to train law enforcement officers to treat overdoses as criminal cases.
Click here for the full text of the Governor’s proclamation
History
Red Ribbon Week is the oldest and largest drug prevention program in the nation. By wearing red and participating in community anti-drug events, people pledge to live a drug-free life and pay tribute to DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena.
Special Agent Camarena was an 11-year veteran of the DEA. He was assigned to the Guadalajara, Mexico, office where he worked to stop some of the country’s biggest marijuana and cocaine traffickers.
On February 7, 1985, Kiki was kidnapped and murdered by Mexican drug traffickers. His tragic death opened the eyes of many Americans to the dangers of drugs and the scope of the international drug trade. Shortly after Agent Camarena’s death, Congressman Duncan Hunter and Kiki’s high school friend, Henry Lozano, launched “Camarena Clubs” in Kiki’s hometown of Calexico, California. Hundreds of club members pledged to lead drug-free lives to honor the sacrifice made by Kiki Camarena.
These pledges were delivered to First Lady Nancy Reagan at a national conference of parents combating youth drug use. Several state parent organizations then called on community groups to wear red ribbons during the last week of October as a symbol of their drug-free commitment.
