Red Ribbon Week

Touching millions of people around the world since its inception, Red Ribbon Week encourages everyone, particularly high school and college students, to celebrate a lifestyle that is drug-free!

History of Red Ribbon Week

Red Ribbon Week is an initiative that started back in 1985 when it was launched in California. Eventually, the campaign grew nationwide when it was established through the efforts of the National Family Partnership. Particularly, the influences of First Lady Nancy Reagan were vital in bringing these issues to the limelight, so that the event would be officially proclaimed by Congress in 1988.

WIth support from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as well as other non-profit organizations and private companies, Red Ribbon Week has continued to be celebrated annually throughout four decades.

Each year, the organizers of Red Ribbon Week choose a theme to go along with the celebrations, highlighting an aspect of choosing a drug-free lifestyle. Students often choose these themes through a contest. Some of the themes for recent years have included:

• Life is a Movie, Film Drug Free (2023)
• Drug Free Looks Like Me (2021)
• Send a Message. Stay Drug Free (2019)
• Life is Your Journey. Travel Drug Free (2018)

How to Observe Red Ribbon Week

Red Ribbon Week brings with it all sorts of opportunities and activities for observing and raising awareness about living a drug-free life. Get creative in coming up with celebratory ideas, or start with a few of these:

Wear a Red Ribbon

The entire Red Ribbon Week campaign started as a way of indicating support for living a clean, drug free lifestyle. And while the event has evolved over time, the first thing that can be done in support is to wear a red ribbon.

Some schools also promote special themed days throughout the week, such as Wear Red Day, Put a Cap on Drugs (wear a hat), Shade Out Drugs (wear sunglasses) and more.

Go Drug Free – And Share It!

College and high school campuses are hot spots for drug and alcohol abuse, so Red Ribbon Week is particularly devoted to these spaces.

Folks who live a drug-free lifestyle can share their own stories about being clean in personal conversations with friends, through a blog post, or on social media. Post a Red Ribbon Week photo as a temporary profile pic for extra attention.

Join or Start a SADD Chapter

One important way to help kids stay connected to being drug and alcohol free is through SADD. Originally formed to prevent drunk driving (formerly called Students Against Driving Drunk), the organization has evolved to include other facets and is now referred to as Students Against Destructive Decisions. This group is particularly active during Red Ribbon Week!

Join the Red Ribbon Week Campus Video Contest

One of the annual events run by the organizers of Red Ribbon Week is a video PSA contest that is open to students. Run by the Campus Drug Prevention arm of the DEA along with the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA), this event encourages college and university students to create original videos that promote drug-free campuses.

Check out submission rules or watch some of the previous winning videos from 2016 to the present at the Campus Drug Prevention website.