National Geographic Channel's DRUG,INC. Teams With Drugfree.org

Drug addiction affects people of all races, ages and classes. Illegal narcotics do not discriminate, plaguing residents from small towns to big cities and raising the question, "What can be done about it?" For the second year, National Geographic Channel's (NGC's) popular series Drugs, Inc. and The Partnership at Drugfree.org are again joining forces to raise awareness about the nation's drug epidemic, educate Americans and ultimately save lives. This year, for its ongoing contributions to The Partnership at Drugfree.org, NGC has been named a Bronze-Level Partner of the nonprofit's award-winning national action campaign, The Medicine Abuse Project.

NGC will air The Partnership at Drugfree.org's latest Medicine Abuse Project PSAs (coming in September) throughout the season, run billboards and lower thirds driving to drugfree.org, run Medicine Abuse Project digital banner ads on natgeotv.com, include Medicine Abuse Project blog posts on natgeotv.com and promote The Medicine Abuse Project within NGC's e-newsletter. The Partnership at Drugfree.org will also run Drugs, Inc. tune-in posts on its Facebook page during the course of the series. NGC's Bronze Partner designation will be included on its website, with a network logo.

The Medicine Abuse Project is a unifying campaign that brings together families, communities, industry, health care professionals, educators, law enforcement and government officials to curb teen medicine abuse and save lives. The Medicine Abuse Project aims to prevent half a million teens from abusing medicine within five years.

"Drugs, Inc. provides an unflinching look at the grip drugs have on this country from all points of view including users, dealers, law enforcement and others on the front lines of this epidemic," said Howard T. Owens, president, National Geographic Channels."But we don't think just telling these stories is enough.Continuing our collaborative efforts with The Partnership at Drugfree.org allows us to bring much needed attention to this important issue and use our show as a platform for discussion and solutions."

"We are very happy to be continuing the relationship of Drugs, Inc. with The Partnership at Drugfree.org for parents, teens and everyone in between," said Courteney Monroe, chief marketing officer, NGC. "Through their extensive prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery information, together with our powerful series that offers an unflinching 360-degree view of the drug trade, we hope to continue shedding light and offering resources on this epidemic in our country."

About Drugs, Inc.

Drugs, Inc. is an explosive 10-episode investigative series returning for a fourth season that examines the $350 billion-a-year industry from all angles with intimate firsthand, street-level testimonies from those at the front lines and back alleys of the drug trade, including traffickers, dealers, users, federal agents and cops. This season, see how San Francisco is awash with a new strain of crystal meth 90 percent pure and half the price it used to cost making meth the new street drug of choice, even more popular than crack, with devastating consequences. In Jamaica, drugs, violence and corruption underpin large portions of the culture and economy. Here, politicians arm gangs with weapons in return for residents' votes in their constituent neighborhoods. In Chicago, some dealers are moving out to the suburbs, while others are diversifying their product range to exploit the lucrative demand for ecstasy and a new, potent strain of marijuana called Kush.

For more information on Drugs, Inc., please visit www.natgeotv.com/drugs.

For more information on The Partnership at Drugfree.org's Medicine Abuse Project, please visit www.drugfree.org/MedicineAbuseProject.

National Geographic Channel

Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channels US are a joint venture between National Geographic and FOX Networks. The Channels contribute to the National Geographic Society's commitment to exploration, conservation and education with smart, innovative programming and profits that directly support its mission. Launched in January 2001, National Geographic Channel (NGC) celebrated its fifth anniversary with the debut of NGC HD. In 2010, the wildlife and natural history cable channel Nat Geo WILD was launched, and in 2011, the Spanish-language network Nat Geo Mundo was unveiled. The Channels have carriage with all of the nation's major cable, telco and satellite television providers, with NGC currently available in 84 million U.S. homes. Globally, National Geographic Channel is available in more than 440 million homes in 171 countries and 38 languages. For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com.

About The Partnership at Drugfree.org

Ninety percent of addictions start in the teenage years. The Partnership at Drugfree.org is dedicated to solving the problem of teen substance abuse. Together with experts in science, parenting and communications, the nonprofit translates research on teen behavior, addiction and treatment into useful and effective resources for both individuals and communities. Working toward a vision where all young people will be able to live their lives free of drug and alcohol abuse, The Partnership at Drugfree.org works with parents and other influencers to help them prevent and get help for drug and alcohol abuse by teens and young adults. The organization depends on donations from individuals, corporations, foundations and the public sector and is thankful to SAG-AFTRA and the advertising and media industries for their ongoing generosity.

SOURCE National Geographic Channel

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