Working Partners for an Alcohol- and Drug-Free Workplace

Working Partners for an Alcohol- and Drug-Free Workplace. Photos representing the workforce - Digital Imagery© copyright 2001 PhotoDisc, Inc.

National Methamphetamine Awareness Day Planned for November 30, 2006

In efforts to generate awareness about the damaging effects of methamphetamine abuse on individuals, families and American communities, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced that it will sponsor National Methamphetamine Awareness Day on November 30, 2006. In the weeks leading up to this special day, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and other federal agencies and partners will join DOJ in its nationwide efforts to increase awareness about and decrease the demand for meth, a highly addictive and dangerous drug.

Meth use has erupted across the United States, devastating countless families and communities. And because most individuals who abuse drugs are employed, meth is becoming a serious safety and health concern for many employers. Through effective employment policies and practices—such as drug-free workplace programs—employers can take steps to protect themselves and their workers against meth’s negative consequences in the workplace.

Organizers of National Methamphetamine Awareness Day encourage employers, employees and other community members to recognize the event on and around November 30. DOJ has created a model methamphetamine educational presentation that members of the public may use to address meth use in their communities. This presentation is posted on DOJ’s new Meth Awareness Web site. In addition, DOL’s Working Partners for an Alcohol- and Drug-Free Workplace Web site includes a special section on meth that provides resources to help employers and employees work together to keep their workplaces free of the hazards caused by worker use of meth and other drugs. Another helpful resource is the Partnership for a Drug-Free America Web site, which offers English and Spanish-language fact sheets on meth that employers can download and distribute.

For more information about National Methamphetamine Awareness Day and how to get involved in your community, contact the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs at 202-514-2007 or visit http://www.usdoj.gov/methawareness.