What's New? Catch the buzz on our special Events such as Kidfest, Operation Medicine Cabinet   At a joint press conference with the White House Office of Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Florida Office of Drug Control Director Bruce Grant announced that Florida is the only state in the nation to receive a 2010 Prevention Partnership for Success Grant. $11.5 million, awarded over five years, will fund substance abuse prevention planning and evidence based practices at the grassroots level within six of Florida’s most populous counties, including Pinellas and Hillsborough. Read more here.   Drug Free Workplace During tough economic times, businesses are all trying to do more with less and be as productive as possible. Promoting a drug-free workplace is one way to make this happen. Drug Free Workplace programs are invaluable to businesses and communities by creating an atmosphere of greater health and safety. Businesses that promote a drug free environment often experience an increase in productivity, safety, profits, customer satisfaction and employee morale. Companies also usually see a decrease in absenteeism, insurance costs, accidents and employee turnover. Click here for more information.   Be the Wall Hillsborough County is joing the statewide effort to encourage parents to Be the Wall between teens and alcohol, starting in October, 2009. The simply stated campaign is designed on the premise that while alcohol may be the primary substance of choice for teens across the state and country, underage drinking should be the single most preventable at risk behavior among our teenagers. Current research indicates that the teen brain is still developing until the mid-20.  The introduction of alcohol, particularly in large quantities, may impair brain development. The developing teen brain also makes teens more impulsive and less likely to consider consequences of their behavior – for this reason; the campaign encourages all adults to be firm, clear and consistent when talking with teens about alcohol. The multi-media campaign is part of a partnership between Hillborough County and the Department of Children and Families and Florida Office of Drug Control. Its components include an interactive web site where parents can text their teen, humorous posters about natural communication gaps between teens and parents, community displays, guerilla marketing strategies and more. Check out the website here: www.bethewall.org