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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. |
