West Central PA News

The Pennsylvania state Senate has approved a resolution declaring March 28, 2025, as "Drugs Kill Dreams Day" throughout the state. This initiative, led by Senator Joe Pittman, is meant to raise awareness about drug use prevention among young people.

The campaign traces its roots back to 1994 when Armstrong County Magisterial District Judge J. Gary DeComo initiated a drug abuse prevention program. The aim was to educate elementary school students about the risks associated with alcohol, tobacco, and drug use.

It was in 2000 that Judge DeComo adopted the "Drugs Kill Dreams" slogan, inspired by a poster created by a fourth-grade student, Tara Powers, at Lenape Elementary School during an anti-drug contest. DeComo's program was designed to promote drug and alcohol prevention in schools and communities across western Pennsylvania, driven by the belief that increasing prevention efforts would reduce addiction and related crimes.

Research supports that initiatives such as these can effectively reduce substance abuse among young adults if they are integrated into community prevention efforts starting in elementary school.

The programs aim to curtail addiction by encouraging healthy, safe, and responsible lifestyles among adolescents. Senator Pittman emphasized: “Drugs Kill Dreams partners with schools, churches and other community organizations to share educational materials and prevention messages to young people. Together we can help bring increased attention to the very negative and very harmful consequences of drug use.”