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Young Marines Receive Camarena Awards
DEA Community Outreach Specialist Moneeb Khokhar and Col William P. Davis, USMC (Ret), National Executive Director/CEO, Young Marines present Camarena Awards at a ceremony in Herndon, VA.
Last month, DEA and the Young Marines, a national youth organization, announced the winners of the Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Award. The award honors Young Marine units for drug demand reduction (DDR) efforts through community education and peer-to-peer role modeling.
The 2026 winners were:
- Division 1: Manassas Young Marines of Springfield, VA
- Division 2: Black Creek Young Marines of Orange Park, FL
- Division 3: Greater Cleveland Young Marines of Fairview Park, OH
- Division 4: JPSO Young Marines of Harvey, LA
- Division 5: Foothills Young Marines of Aurora, CO
- Division 6: Southland Young Marines of Azusa, CA
The award is named in memory of DEA Special Agent and U.S. Marine Enrique "Kiki" Camarena who dedicated his career to defeating the drug invasion in the U.S. In 1974, he became a special agent with DEA. In 1985 he was working in Mexico, and had come dangerously close to exposing the top leaders of a multi-billion-dollar drug pipeline when he was abducted and brutally murdered at the age of 37.
Young Marine units are judged on DDR hours, curriculum, and the steps taken in reaching out to the community to include peers and other organizations. Units may enter pictures, endorsements, proclamations, videos, and other items that help demonstrate their efforts. The best three entries per division are sent to DEA Headquarters, and a winner from each division is selected.
One of the pillars of the Young Marines program is to lead positive, drug-free lifestyles and to educate and encourage others to do the same. Young Marines units are mandated to teach the standardized Project Alert curriculum. The Project Alert curriculum focuses on gateway drugs, but also stays current with drugs that affect the nation's youth. It also gives senior Young Marines the opportunity to become certified instructors and teach their fellow Young Marines and younger peers.
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APALD to Rally Against All Drugs Across US
 APALD – the Association of People Against Lethal Drugs – is holding their 6th Annual National Illicit Drug Education Events on May 1st and May 2nd, 2026.
APALD events will be held in cities across America to educate our youth, parents and the general public on the dangers of Illicit Street Drugs such as: Fentanyl, Heroin, Cocaine, Xylazine, Nitazenes, Carfentanil, Kratom, Marijuana, Veterinary Tranquilizers, Methamphetamine, Polysubstance Mixtures.
APALD is bringing awareness to ALL ILLICIT DRUGS.
Webinar on the Teenage Brain
Partnership to End Addiction is hosting a free webinar later this month: The Teenage Brain: How Teens Make Decisions, Why They Take Risks and How to Change Behavior.
About this webinar:
What if teen behaviors like risk-taking, impulsive decisions and emotional reactions were not considered problems to eliminate, but instead signals of how the adolescent brain is developing?
In this one-hour webinar, our experts will explore the teenage years with the goal of helping anyone who works with young people understand why teens behave the way they do and how that knowledge can strengthen their work with both youth and their families.
Join us to learn what the adolescent brain is designed to do — and how to work with it.
When: This webinar will start at 1 PM ET on April 27, 2026
Presented by: Molly Bobek, L.C.S.W., Vice President, Family and Adolescent Clinical Technology and Science (FACTS) and Cori Hammond, M.P.H, Senior Director, Prevention Services
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SAMHSA Debuts 'Prevention 101' Videos
SAMHSA Communities Talk has released new “Prevention 101” videos. Learn how prevention builds resilience, equipping individuals and communities with the tools they need to thrive. Backed by science, effective prevention goes beyond awareness to focus on strategies that are proven to work, including reducing risk factors, strengthening protective supports, and promoting healthy behaviors. At its core, prevention is about creating environments where well-being is supported and challenges can be addressed, allowing youth and communities to thrive.
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We're Growing!
The Together for Families network now includes hundreds of organizations and individuals from across the United States. Please encourage families and community members concerned about substance use to sign up for updates.
Also, if you work with an organization that has a free resource, information or event that you want families to know about, encourage them to join the Together for Families network by e-mailing togetherforfamilies@dea.gov.
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