Drug Free Communities of Dallas County, a new initiative, was launched Thursday at Selma High School. A pep rally was held at the school Thursday to kick off the program, which hopes to reduce and prevent substance abuse through awareness and action. It will specifically target young people.

Jerria Martin is the director of the program and she’s already thinking about the next steps. She said a meeting in January will include educators, parents, law enforcement, health care professionals and businesses.

Drugs use remains a problem, not only in Selma, but around the world. Recent studies have shown that drug use is actually down among today’s teens — a positive sign and proof that we are trending the right direction. However, there’s plenty of work left to be done.

Our teens need to understand the dangers of drug and alcohol use and how they mess with our minds, bodies and decision making. The only way to do that is to keep talking about and if children won’t listen to their parents and teachers, maybe they’ll listen to city leaders, like Martin, district judge Bob Armstrong, Mike Granthum with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office — all of whom spoke at the rally.

We look forward to seeing how this program impacts our community in the future.