The illicit use of marijuana among teenagers is increasing in the United States according to a national survey released by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, a research organization in Rockville, Md., which targets substance abuse and mental health across the country.
In Memphis and Shelby County, parents who suspect their teenagers of smoking marijuana will be able to test them using a home drug test kit that will be distributed free on Saturday, April 20, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Baker Community Center, 7942 Church St., Millington, TN 38053.
That date, which is known by marijuana users as “National Get High Day,” or “420,” was chosen by Rural/Metro Corporation and its partners — notMYkid.org, a national non-profit that focuses on preventing the devastation of teen addiction, and First Check, the leader in home diagnostic testing – as the day to distribute the First Check® Home Drug Test and to apprise parents of the dangers of drugs.
“We want to make sure that parents have the information to recognize the signs of the early use of illegal, recreational drugs, and to assist them before it becomes a problem,” said Nikki Gast, Rural/Metro’s market general manager.
Rural/Metro and its partners are distributing the test kits from 10 locations throughout the country, including San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles County, Calif.; metro-Phoenix; metro-Atlanta; Orlando and Sumter County, Fla.; Rochester and Syracuse, N.Y.; and Knoxville, Tenn.
The First Check® Home Drug Test is manufactured by First Check Diagnostics Corp., which is owned by Alere, Inc. and headquartered in Waltham, Ma. It works by exposing a urine sample to special chemical reagents within the test strip in a specific order and at a specific speed.
About 200 kits will be distributed at the Baker Community Center, Gast said.
“Talking to your kids is only the first step,” said Debbie Moak, founder of notMYkid and a mother who faced her own teen son’s addiction. “We need parents to take action by getting on the same page, setting consistent boundaries, testing their kids, participating in their lives and most importantly, serving as positive role models.”
For more information on the warning signs of teen drug addiction and advice on developing a family drug prevention plan, visit www.notMYkid.org.
About Rural Metro
Rural Metro Ambulance is proud to be the 911 emergency provider for the unincorporated areas of Shelby County, as well as Arlington, Collierville, Germantown, Lakeland and Millington. Rural Metro Ambulance provides emergency service in 21 states and has more than 9,000 employees. For more information about Rural Metro, visit www.ruralmetro.com.