Ocean City Group Brings Drug Awareness to Area With New Billboard

A new drug awareness billboard made its debut along Roosevelt Boulevard in the Marmora section of Upper Township on Monday, The Press of Atlantic City reports.

The message on this particular billboard is “Did you know? 90 percent of drug and alcohol abusers started in their teens,” according to the report.

It is the first in a series of billboards.

The message on the billboard in that location will change monthly, Ocean City Councilman Michael DeVlieger said at Thursday night’s council meeting.

“The school district’s Drug Awareness Committee is taking a proactive stance,” DeVlieger said. “We purchased the billboard and every month, there will be new facts about drug abuse.”

The facts that will appear on the billboards are all derived from a survey of seventh, ninth and eleventh grades from all over the county, including Ocean City, according to didyouknowoc.com.

The Cape Assist Pride survey was conducted in 2013.

Other facts uncovered by the survey include:

· More teens die from prescription drugs than heroin/cocaine combined.

· Four (4) in ten (10) U.S. teenagers are current alcohol drinkers.

· Teens who consistently learn about the risks of drugs from their parents are up to 50% less likely to use drugs than those who don’t.

The school district’s Drug Awareness Committee has grown to include representatives from the Ocean City School District and Ocean City School Board in partnership with: Ocean City Education Foundation, Upper Township School Board, Sea Isle City School Board, City of Ocean City, Ocean City Council, Upper Township Committee, Ocean City PTA, Ocean City Police Department, Ocean City Fire Department, Ocean City-Upper Township Municipal Alliance Committee, Cape May Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, Inc. dba Cape Assist, Atlantic Prevention Resources and concerned parents.

They are now known as the Ocean City Community Team: Keeping Our Community Healthy and Drug Free.

For more on the group and its efforts, visit didyouknowoc.com.

For more on the christening ceremony in which government and school officials from across the county unveiled the billboard, visit pressofatlanticcity.com.

The attached image is a Patch file photo.