by Rachel Reid and Nastia Parker
YOLO–you only live once–was the theme for this year’s Red Ribbon Week.
“Red Ribbon Week is a national week of recognition over the safety of teenagers against drug and alcohol use,” said school resource officer Mark Ellenburger.
Each year, Brevard Student Council ties little red ribbons on the antennas of cars that were parked in the school parking lots to raise awareness of this national campaign.
Red Ribbon Week began in Calexico, California, in 1985 after the kidnapping, torture, and brutal murder of an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration agent, Enrique “Kiki” Camarena.
Kiki, a nickname given by friends, was walking to his truck when five men approached him and shoved him inside a beige Volkswagen. Then one of the men proceeded to put a jacket over his face. Following his kidnapping, Kiki never saw his family again. His death opened the eyes of many Americans to the dangers of drugs and the trading of drugs.
In North Carolina, 7.75% of residents have reported using illicit drugs in the past month. The recorded amount of deaths due to drugs is an average of 12.4-12.7 percent of each 100 thousand people.
With that being said, Red Ribbon Week was created to spread drug and alcohol awareness to billions of people.