Pathways 2 Prevention
Why the DEA Does Prevention: The Story Behind Red Ribbon Week
1 hr 16 min
Guests: Sean Fearns, Kevin Collins
Listen on SpotifySummary
This episode explains why the DEA, primarily an enforcement agency, is deeply involved in drug prevention efforts. Sean Fearns and Kevin Collins from DEA Community Outreach and Prevention Support trace the origins of the DEA's prevention work back to the loss of Special Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena in 1985 and the subsequent rise of Red Ribbon Week. They also discuss current prevention challenges, including fentanyl and counterfeit pills, and highlight the free, science-based resources the DEA offers.
Key takeaways
- The DEA's prevention efforts originated 40 years ago, following the death of Special Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena and the formation of Camarena Clubs, which led to Red Ribbon Week.
- Current prevention challenges include the dangers of fentanyl, the spread of counterfeit pills through social media, and the importance of not dismissing prevention needs even if overdose deaths decline.
- The DEA provides numerous free, science-based resources for prevention work, including curriculum for grades 3 to 12, materials for parents, and information for teens and college students.
- Engage in Red Ribbon Week by having conversations with young people, asking local officials to light buildings red, or sharing free materials from dea.gov/redribbon.
- Key resources include Operation Prevention, Get Smart About Drugs, Just Think Twice, and Campus Drug Prevention, all accessible through the DEA.
Show notes
The "E" in DEA stands for enforcement, not education. So why does the nation's largest drug law enforcement agency have a team whose entire job is prevention?
Dave Closson sits down with Sean Fearns and Kevin Collins of DEA Community Outreach and Prevention Support to trace the answer back 40 years. It begins with the loss of DEA Special Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena in 1985, and with the high school students in his hometown of Calexico, California, who formed Camarena Clubs and pledged to live drug-free. Parents picked it up, it spread across the country, and it became Red Ribbon Week.
From there, the conversation turns to today: what Fentanyl Free America means, why falling overdose deaths don't mean the problem is solved, how counterfeit pills reach young people through their phones, and the free, science-based resources the DEA offers to anyone doing prevention work.
About the guestsSean Fearns is Chief of Community Outreach and Prevention Support at DEA headquarters. He has spent 27 years at the DEA engaging with the public, including building the DEA Museum, and has led the agency's community outreach and prevention support work for the past decade.
Kevin Collins is a Senior Prevention Program Manager at the DEA. Before joining the agency about two and a half years ago, he spent roughly 20 years with the Partnership to End Addiction. He also served as a civil affairs officer in the U.S. Army Reserve.One thing to do for Red Ribbon Week (October 23 to 31)+ Have a real conversation with a young person in your life. Ask what they're hearing, what they're worried about, and what's going well.
+ Ask your mayor, council, or sheriff to light a building, bridge, or water tower red for Go Red for Red Ribbon.
+ Take the free materials at dea.gov/redribbon and share them with your PTA, workplace, or neighbors.
Resources mentioned
- Red Ribbon Week (October 23 to 31): www.dea.gov/redribbon
- Fentanyl Free America: www.dea.gov/fentanylfree
- Operation Prevention (free curriculum, grades 3 to 12, English and Spanish): www.operationprevention.com
- Get Smart About Drugs (parents, caregivers, educators): www.getsmartaboutdrugs.com
- DEA publications library: www.getsmartaboutdrugs.com/resources
- Hidden on Your Kid's Phone: www.getsmartaboutdrugs.com/hidden
- Tools to Talk with Your Young Person about Anything: www.getsmartaboutdrugs.com/toolstotalk
- Just Think Twice (teens): www.justthinktwice.com
- Campus Drug Prevention (colleges and universities): www.campusdrugprevention.gov
- Together for Families: www.dea.gov/togetherforfamilies (add your organization: togetherforfamilies@dea.gov)
- Faces of Fentanyl Memorial Exhibit: www.dea.gov/facesoffentanyl
- Find your Community Outreach Specialist: www.getsmartaboutdrugs.gov/cos
- Treatment and support: FindTreatment.gov, or call or text 988
Pathways 2 Prevention is powered by the Drug Free America Foundation. Learn more at dfaf.org.
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