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NOPE Task Force – Narcotics Overdose Prevention & Education

About Us

Our Mission

To diminish the frequency and impact of overdose death through community education, family support and purposeful advocacy.

Vision

A world free of overdose deaths.

About Us

NOPE Task Force (Narcotics Overdose Prevention & Education) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that was formed in Palm Beach County, Florida in 2004, to combat the illegal use of prescription drugs and narcotics, as well as other abused substances. NOPE Task Force is comprised of community leaders and concerned families working to save lives.

Efficacy

Lynn University of Boca Raton, Florida, provides on-going comprehensive evaluation for the NOPE prevention programs. Consistent positive findings show that the NOPE presentations given in each of the participant groups have had significant impact on the knowledge and attitudes of those exposed to the NOPE programs. The NOPE messages have each been found to have been heard and understood by the participants. The attitudes around these messages have been tested through survey responses and the results have shown a change in attitude based on knowledge of these messages.

Middle and High School Presentations

The cornerstone of the NOPE mission is the high-impact, multimedia presentation that is delivered to middle and high school students. The NOPE presentation is purposefully blunt and evokes powerful emotions. The response from students, parents and teachers has been very positive. Many students reach out to NOPE's wealth of resources beyond the presentation and seek guidance for themselves or to get help for a friend.

University Presentations

This contemporary student program aims to raise awareness among all members of a campus community. The content focuses on actual and significant risks associated with combining any and all commonly abused drugs. The presentation includes overdose intervention/ prevention strategies and is intentionally tailored to include information about each university's unique efforts to mitigate the negative impact of alcohol and drug use on campus.

Parent and Community Forums

Drug prevention is a community issue. Each year, new studies indicate the vastness of drug use in our schools. NOPE realizes the importance for educators and parents to understand the issues related to drug use in order to learn how to make a difference in their childrens' lives. NOPE offers parents, caretakers and communities interactive presentations that inform participants about the reality our nation faces regarding substance abuse and overdose death, along with suggestions and parenting strategies to combat the issues.

Support Groups

NOPE partners with local agencies within Chapter locations to offer group emotional support services to families who have lost loved ones to drug related deaths. Groups meet once a month and are run by a mental health professional at no cost to group members.

Support Literature

The sudden loss of a loved one is painful and difficult. When that loss involves alcohol and/or other drugs, the survivors may also feel and experience the stigma associated with substance abuse. Too often the consequences of addiction are perceived as deserved and shameful, leaving families and friends to grieve in silence. The NOPE Coping with Sudden Loss booklet has been created to support survivors with information about grief, sudden loss, legal investigation and support resources.

Candle Light Vigil

The NOPE National Candle Light Vigil brings communities together each year during Red Ribbon Week to remember those lost to and suffering from substance abuse in an effort to bring awareness to the consequences our nation faces with the illegal use of prescription and illicit drugs. The NOPE Vigil strives to reduce the stigma surrounding addiction so that those suffering with the disease will openly seek help.

Publications

NOPE Task Force has produced several brochures and booklets providing information on the dangers of substance abuse and offering useful tools and tips on how to combat substance abuse in the home and community. The NOPE publications are customized for different age groups and include a wide range of subject matters.

Drug Take Back Program

NOPE chapters partner with local law enforcement agencies to host frequent prescription drug take back operations. Together, they collect unused and expired medications from households to prevent accidental or unlawful use of these drugs.

Advocacy

Not nearly enough action is being taken at the state and federal levels to combat the proliferation of illegal drugs and the illegal distribution of powerful prescription drugs. NOPE brings its message to both public and private forums in order to focus attention on this epidemic and to put a human face on the debate.

Chapters

In order to expand the NOPE program reach, NOPE Chapters are currently being established throughout the country. Benefits to forming a NOPE Chapter in your community include: research based programs, name brand recognition, national website with a personalized section for each chapter, personalized publications, community partnerships, training and support.

Visibility

National Press, Panels and Conferences:

  • 2012-2016 – National Rx Drug Abuse Summit Advisory Committee
  • 2015 – Reuters; Healthline News
  • 2015 – Clinton Foundation & Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health Plan - The Prescription Opioid Epidemic: An Evidence-Based Approach
  • 2015 – Center for Lawful Access and Abuse Deterrence (CLADD) Policy Meeting
  • 2014 – Clinton Foundation Health Matters Initiative Naloxone Workgroup
  • 2014 – New Jersey Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Strategic Action Plan
  • 2013 – Center for Lawful Access and Abuse Deterrence (CLADD) Policy Meeting
  • 2012 – Ohio State University Prescription Drug Abuse Symposium
  • 2011 – White House National Prescription Drug Plan, press conference
  • 2011 – CBS Sunday Morning
  • 2011 – Florida Attorney General Pill Mill Initiative, press conference
  • 2011 – Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools National Conference
  • 2011 – Prescription Drug Misuse and Abuse Among Adolescents: examining best practices and lessons learned workgroup
  • 2011 – Prescription Drug Misuse and Abuse among College Students: examining best practices and lessons learned
  • 2010 – White House Briefings National Drug Control Strategy
  • 2010 – American College Health Association Annual Meeting
  • 2010 – Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools National Conference
  • 2010 – Office of National Drug Control Policy "Of Substance Blog"
  • 2008 – Florida Office of Drug Control Overdose Death Workgroup
  • 2008 – CBS Early Show; AARP the Magazine; Florida Trend Magazine
  • 2006 – CBS Early Show; Ladies Home Journal Magazine