MINNEAPOLIS, April 1, 2008—Minnesota has launched the Partnership for a Drug-Free Minnesota, the state chapter of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, tapping into a national, media-based education campaign to reduce illegal drug use in the state, it was announced today.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services is sponsoring and leading the affiliation with the Partnership, a nonprofit organization uniting communications professionals, renowned scientists and parents. It is best known for its national anti-drug print and broadcast campaigns.

The state has launched its own Partnership website at www.drugfree.org/mn, featuring information about drug abuse and prevention efforts in Minnesota. Minnesota has not been affiliated with the Partnership since the 1990s.

“Although we are continuing to see declining meth use among students, other student drug use increased in 2007 and drug and alcohol abuse and addiction continue to take a devastating toll on thousands of Minnesotans,” said Carol Falkowski, director of the DHS Chemical Health Division.

Falkowski said a recently formed Partnership for a Drug-Free Minnesota advisory group, composed of representatives of the courts, law enforcement, state agencies and other stakeholder groups, has chosen to emphasize spots encouraging parents to talk to their kids about drugs.

A 2006 survey conducted by the Partnership found that the number of parents who had four or more discussions with their teens about the dangers of drug and alcohol use dropped by 12 percent over the previous year.