On Saturday, Sept. 25, the Drug Enforcement Administration will hold its first national prescription-drug "Take-Back" initiative, with several drop-off locations available in and near Indianapolis.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, participating sites will collect expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs, free and anonymously. For details and a list of Indy-area drop-off sites, click here.

Drug Free Marion County and the Indiana Addictions Issues Coalition will mark Indiana Recovery Month 2010 with a variety of events in downtown Indianapolis on Sept. 25, including a 3K walk, a Recovery Ride for motorcyclists and a Rally for Recovery featuring keynote speaker Karen Freeman-Wilson.

To get complete details, click here.

 Announcement of the Availability of Funds

Recovery Advocate of the Year 2010, and 2010 Daniel C. Crowe Lifetime Recovery Advocate Award nomination forms are now available!

You may register your nominations online or download PDF nomination forms on our 2010 Recovery Month page

Did you know that Drug Free Marion County can provide a speaker to address your organization concerning a variety of issues surrounding alcohol, tobacco and other drugs in Marion County? The service is free of charge, and we've given presentations to many Indianapolis groups.

To see a list of topics that we address and the types of groups that have requested presentations, click here.

For information about scheduling a speaker, please call 317-254-2815.

Once again, Indiana’s grocery, drug and convenience stores are pushing to expand alcohol availability by demanding both the sale of alcohol on Sunday and the sale of cold beer in their establishments. And once again, their reasoning is based on two points: economic gain both for themselves and the state and consumer convenience.

Drug Free Marion County’s response to these demands remains the same: Now more than ever, Indiana can’t afford the “convenience” of these policies. Alcohol is already widely available to Indiana consumers, and any economic gain by those who might benefit from such laws would be offset by a significant loss for public health, safety and finances.

Read Drug Free Marion County's full response to the latest push for expanded alcohol sales.

Drug Free Marion County's executive director Randy Miller appeared on the Fox 59 Faceoff to debate the topic of Sunday alcohol sales.

Fox 59 showed a shortened version of the debate on Tuesday, June 29. To see the full version, click here.

On July 1, a new Indiana law goes into effect, requiring ID checks for all alcohol purchased for carryout. As a result, there is likely to be an increase in incidents of minors asking adults entering retail locations to purchase alcohol for them.

A free training session being offered by the Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking in June will help law enforcement officers, community members and youth address this problem.

"Shoulder Taps"/Third-Party Transactions will be conducted by Special Agent Nancy McGee of the Missouri Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control. The Indianapolis session is scheduled for Friday, June 25, from noon to 5 p.m. The event is free, and lunch is included.

To register for the session, and for exact location information, call Lisa Hutcheson by June 18 at 317-638-3501 extension 232 or email her at lhutcheson@mhai.net.

Mexican drug smugglers are increasingly peddling a form of ultra-potent heroin that sells for as little as $10 a bag and is so pure it can kill unsuspecting users instantly, sometimes before they even remove the syringe from their veins.

An Associated Press review of drug overdose data shows that so-called "black tar" heroin - named for its dark, gooey consistency - and other forms of the drug are contributing to a spike in overdose deaths across the nation and attracting a new generation of users who are caught off guard by its potency.

For more information, click here to read the full story from azcentral.com:

Parents, did you know that many Indy Parks locations offer free summer meals and/or supervised playground programs from June 8 through July 30? The programs are available for kids ages 6 to 12 Monday through Friday.

Visit Indy Park's Web site for a complete list of locations for the Free Summer Lunch and Supervised Playground programs by clicking here.

Drug Free Marion County wants you to have a fun, safe and carefree summer -- one without the negative effects of alcohol and drugs. When you stay free of alcohol and drugs, it's easier to stay free from drama, hassles and accidents. That way, you can focus on what summer is all about -- having fun with your family and friends! 

Want some ideas? Click on the Hot Topics button on the left side of our home page, and hit the link to Carefree Summer, Carefree May for cool things you can do this month!

Drug Free Marion County is alerting parents, guardians and those who work with youth about a new synthetic form of marijuana -- often sold under the brand names K2 or Spice -- that is finding its way into the hands of Indiana youth.

Available legally and marketed as a dried herbal blend for incense, it is more commonly smoked because it produces a high that mimics marijuana. The herbs have been sprayed or coated with synthetic chemicals that replicate the effects of THC. These chemicals do not show up in standard drug screens. Users can experience a range of side effects, including delusions, panic attacks, vomiting, heart palpitations, agitation and dilated pupils.

Learn more about synthetic marijuana by clicking on Hot Topics on the left side of our home page.

You'll find links to a News Alert and a Fact Sheet, and to a Fox 59 interview with Nancy Beals of Drug Free Marion County about the dangers of these products.

Nancy Beals, prevention project coordinator for Drug Free Marion County, authored an editorial on Indiana's alcohol legislation. Her piece appeared in the Indianapolis Star's print and online editions on April 9, 2010 under the title Alcohol's Saturation Point: Rethink Limits.

To read the entire editorial, click here.

In observance of Alcohol Awareness Month, Drug Free Marion County will give Good Neighbor Awards to businesses that consistently operate with excellence while striving to make the community safer.

Area residents are encouraged to nominate package liquor stores, drug and grocery stores and restaurants and bars with sales clerks, wait staff and bartenders who card customers, refuse to sell to intoxicated persons and prevent adult patrons from purchasing alcohol for minors.

For more information on the Drug Free Marion County Good Neighbor Awards, including how to nominate a Marion County business, click here.

Got questions? Contact Nancy Beals (nbeals@drugfreemc.org) or Julie Saetre (jsaetre@drugfreemc.org).

Five individuals have been named as Annual Awards recipients by Drug Free Marion County for their work in addressing challenges related to alcohol, tobacco or drug (ATOD) use. 

Community Service honorees are: Dean Babcock, associate vice president of Midtown Community Mental Health Center; Sandy Jeffers and Ivy Hogue of Pathway to Recovery; and Mary L. Walker, chair of the Public Safety and Neighborhood Health Committee for the Marion County Alliance of Neighborhood Associations (MCANA). The Lifetime Achievement recipient is Claudette Dailey, a private counselor specializing in addiction services.

To learn more about the honorees and Drug Free Marion County's Annual Awards program, click here.