|
|
- THE
INTERNATIONAL ILLICIT DRUG TRADE GENERATES $400
BILLION PER YEAR EQUIVALENT TO 8% OF ALL WORLD
TRADE
- The
Problem
At the beginning of the
twentieth century, the United Kingdom and China
entered into cooperative agreements to control
the epidemic of morphine addiction in China.
Before 1909, an estimated 132 tons of morphine
were being exported annually from the United
Kingdom to China. At the time, the League of
Nations estimated that the entire world's annual
medical requirement for morphine was 10
tons.
The war on drugs had
begun. In this new millennium, the end of the
war is not in sight. Worse, decades of failed
strategies have left many in the rehabilitation
field with the feeling that a decisive victory
may never come.
The Commission on
Narcotic Drugs of the UN's Economic and Social
Council has noted international increases in
cocaine, heroin and solvent abuse (inhaling of
fumes from substances such as paint, glue,
lighter fluid, gasoline or alcohol). Nearly 70
percent of the countries that reported on
marijuana use noted that abuse of the drug was
increasing. According to the United Nations
International Drug Control Program, some 30
million people equivalant to 0.5 percent of the
global population who consume amphetamine-type
stimulants such as methamphetamine and
ecstasy.
Furthermore, according
to a recent report from the European Commission,
an increase in drug use and organized crime is
the greatest fear of citizens of the European
Union. More people (nearly 70 percent) fear drug
abuse than economic crisis, job losses or loss
of social benefits.
A recent report from
the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and
Drug Addiction is equally disturbing. Drug
arrests have increased in every country over the
last decade, accounting for anywhere from 65 to
85 percent of all offences resulting in arrest.
Estimates are that drug abusers account for at
least a quarter, and possibly as high as 70
percent of the European prison
population.
In 1999, the
International Narcotics Control Board (INCB)
characterized the United States as "the biggest
illicit drug market in the world". America's
prison population has tripled in the last 17
years, and drug and alcohol abuse and addiction
are implicated in the incarceration of 80
percent of those in state, federal and local
prisons, according to a 1998 report from the
Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA).
Thirty billion taxpayer dollars are spent every
year to incarcerate these people. CASA estimates
that if current trends continue, by the year
2000, America will be spending $100 million a
day to jail individuals with serious drug and
alcohol problems.
The foregoing
paragraphs do not even address the massive
amounts of damage that is done on a daily basis
to both, society in general, and individual
families, through the use and abuse of legal
addictive substances like alcohol and
tobacco.
The
Prevention Solution
In recent years, most
experts in the field of substance abuse have
come to agree that the most effective way to
eradicate the harmful effects of the use and
abuse of drugs and alcohol is to shift the focus
to prevention measures through increased and
enhanced early education and awareness programs.
The International Drug Awareness Research
Foundation (IDARF) is committed to this
philosophy, and therefore, concentrates its
efforts on developing products from an awareness
and educational perspective.
The
International Drug Awareness Research Foundation
(IDARF)
IDARF is a non-profit
organization dedicated to the prevention of drug
abuse on a global scale through the promotion of
drug abuse awareness by means of widespread
information dissemination and education. Based
on its research, the Foundation develops and
distributes high-impact, visually arresting
communications materials designed to inform and
advise people of all ages about the consequences
of drug use and abuse.
IDARF's
Mission
IDARF's mission is to
foster education and health by focusing all of
its efforts on developing products and programs
designed to reduce the damage caused to society
through substance abuse.
IDARF's
Purpose
The Foundation's
primary purpose is to research, develop and
distribute unique high-impact educational
products designed to increase the awareness and
prevention of drug abuse worldwide, and to work
with businesses, communities and governments in
spreading the life-saving substance abuse
prevention message globally.
IDARF's
Objectives
In support of this
mission and purpose, IDARF is specifically
committed to the following
objectives:
- To continue to fight
the war on drugs through prevention;
- To conduct research
and develop new educational awareness and
prevention products and programs;
- To work with
governments, corporations, institutions and
organizations in cooperative efforts to
increase drug use/abuse awareness;
- To promote the
development of drug awareness, prevention and
educational programs;
- To make available and
distribute drug awareness information and
educational material to all persons and
organizations;
- To actively seek
innovative new ways to reduce the harm caused to
children and young people, by substance
abuse.
- "The
Self-Destructive Use of Drugs" is IDARF's
hallmark drug awareness, prevention and
educational product. This unique communications
tool was thoroughly researched and carefully
drafted by medical research experts to clearly
illustrate "the mind- body-drug connection", all
in one compelling graphic, for the very first
time. It presents the essential information
about the 12 most commonly abused drug groups,
both legal and illegal, in a factual,
non-judgmental way.
The poster (19"x31") is
a high-quality premium product designed to last
for many years. Featuring a full-spectrum
vibrant color scheme that commands immediate
attention. For protection and durability, it is
constructed of heavy-duty card stock paper, is
laminated on both sides. Its innovative design
and in-depth content is guaranteed to command
the attention of anyone who views it, especially
young people.
A Powerful
and Compelling Message with
Impact
Researched and written
by medical professionals, "The
Self-Destructive Use of Drugs" concisely
and precisely summarizes the characteristics and
effects of use/abuse of the 12 most common drug
groups, ranging from legal substances, including
alcohol, tobacco and caffeine, to illicit drugs
including: marijuana, steroids, "ecstasy", LSD,
inhalants, heroin, amphetamines, barbiturates
and cocaine.
This high-impact
communication and learning tool uses a factual
and informative approach to clearly detail the
signs of intoxication, the withdrawal symptoms,
and the effects on the mind, body and fetus, of
each of these drug groups. For added impact, it
utilizes a color-coded key system to clearly
show the inter-relationships involving the mind,
the body, and the various drug
groups.
Unique
Design and Communication Features
"The
Self-Destructive Use of Drugs" was designed
to be more than just another paper-thin
inspirational-type wall poster. It is an
impeccably researched and lasting statement
about drug awareness, education, and prevention
that individuals, organizations, institutions
and companies are proud to display on their
walls. It communicates the substance abuse
message in a unique and unprecedented fashion
that the world has never seen before.
The key design and
communication features are:
- Content was thoroughly
researched and carefully drafted by medical
research experts;
- Design and content was
reviewed and vetted by government experts on
substance abuse;
- Uniquely displays the
"mind-body-drug connection", all in one place
for the first time;
- Covers the 12 most
commonly abused drug groups, both legal and
illegal;
- Presents all of the
information in a factual, non-judgmental, visual
manner;
- Employs high-impact,
full-color graphic art design for wall
display;
- Uses a color-coded key
system to clearly relate text to the
diagram;
- Printed on heavy-duty,
double laminated paper for
durability;
- Ideal for use as a
high-impact visual teaching tool and training
aid;
- Information on the
poster is current and not
time-perishable;
- Promotional version
contains 50 square inches of promotional space
for corporations and organizations.
-
- Initial
Market and Public Response
Experience to date has
consistently revealed that wherever this poster
is shown, the response is impressive. This was
the case when IDARF unveiled the poster at the
D.A.R.E. National Convention in Washington,
D.C., July 1999, and at the 106th World
Conference of the International Association of
Chiefs of Police (IACP) in Charlotte, N.C.,
November 1999.
D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse
Resistance Education) is a police officer led
organization that provides anti-drug and
anti-violence in the classrooms of children from
kindergarten through grade 12. D.A.R.E. operates
in over 40 countries and more than 40,000
officers have successfully completed its drug
awareness instruction certification program.
When randomly selected D.A.R.E. officers were
shown "The Self-Destructive Use of Drugs" poster
in Washington, they were very impressed, and
many immediately wanted to know where they could
order the poster in quantities.
Subsequent to that 1999
D.A.R.E. conference, IDARF negotiated a
non-exclusive agreement with one of D.A.R.E.'s
endorsed suppliers. Under that agreement, as of
December 1999 "The Self-Destructive Use of
Drugs", with the D.A.R.E. logo printed on the
bottom-center, is being promoted and
disseminated throughout the D.A.R.E. network and
is now officially available to all D.A.R.E.
officers across North America.
In June 2000, "The
Self-Destructive Use of Drugs" was presented for
the first time at the annual meeting of the
National Association of State Alcohol and Drug
Abuse Directors (NASADAD). These are the
professionals that are in charge of drug
prevention and awareness programs for each state
in the Union. In addition, all of the key
federal organizations with drug
prevention-awareness programs were also at that
event. In a phrase, the reaction to the poster
was overwhelmingly positive. These people see it
as a unique and revealing depiction of the
"mind-body-drug connection", presented all in
one compelling and powerful graphic. One thing
that they particularly like about this product
is that all of the information is presented in a
single graphic, an approach that they haven't
seen before.
In addition to D.A.R.E.
and NASADAD, IDARF has recently received orders
for customized versions of the poster from a
number of government groups including the
United States Air Force, UNICEF and the Canadian
Armed Forces.
The
Challenge
Substance abuse
involves all ages, but a large proportion is
comprised of our impressionable youth. The
information contained in "The
Self-Destructive Use of Drugs" awareness
poster will give them the power of decision by
presenting them with the true information about
the real effects of drugs. Given the information
in a factual and non-judgmental way such as
this, youth have been known to transform their
attitudes towards substance abuse literally
within minutes, when the mere thought of taking
drugs suddenly becomes detestable to
them.
The objective sharing
of knowledge, and the interaction of frank
dialogue and discussion that "The
Self-Destructive Use of Drugs" generates, is
the most cost-effective and successful form of
drug prevention that exists today.
Accordingly, the real
challenge is to effectively disseminate "The
Self-Destructive Use of Drugs", reaching the
maximum number of people in every community
around the world.
We Can All
Carry the Message
Whether we act as
individuals, communities, corporations, or
institutions, each and every one of us has a
duty to ensure that the life-saving message of
substance abuse awareness and prevention
receives broad exposure and attention in our
society. It is our collective responsibi-lity to
do as much as we can to spread the word about
the destructive impact of the use/abuse of
drugs, especially to our young people. "The
Self-Destructive Use of Drugs" awareness poster
was designed to help us meet this
obligation.
Displayed prominently
in areas where people congregate every day, the
poster will raise awareness and promote dialogue
among people of all ages about the harmful
effects of abusing alcohol, tobacco and other
drugs. Potential poster locations include:
schools, community centers, corporate offices,
medical clinics, rehab centers, hospitals,
factories, libraries, doctor/dentist's offices,
places of worship, private homes, just to
mention a few. IDARF's ultimate goal is to have
a "poster in every home and meeting
place".
-
- Links to visit:
- The Self
Destructive Use of Drugs
- Sponsors
- Testimonials
- Distributorship
Opportunities
-
-
Please
submit all comments, questions, or suggestions
to : info@idarf.org
|
