I am Greg Anderson, Resident Agent in Charge of the Wichita Resident Office and I’d like to welcome you to Operation Engage!

As we all know, there are far too many non-fatal and fatal drug overdoses affecting our communities, and sadly, these numbers are increasing. In response, DEA has moved toward community-level collaborative efforts to help reduce these numbers through education and awareness, using our wide range of resources.

Through Operation Engage, our division will focus on the greater Wichita, Kansas region, targeting opioids and methamphetamine misuse and abuse. Other components of Operation Engage include:

• Stakeholder/Community Gatherings: To share the latest information about drug trends, drug threats, and other related pertinent information.
• DEA’s Citizens Academy: DEA recognizes the importance of forging strong alliances with local communities and maintaining collaborative relationships with community leaders. DEA’s Citizens Academy offers participants the opportunity to understand the world of federal drug law enforcement and the important role the DEA and the community together, play in combating drug trafficking, drug abuse and related violence.
• Youth Engagement: Through programs like the DEA Educational Foundation, CADCA and the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation and in collaboration with local organizations, such as the Quivera Council Boy Scouts of America, Wichita Athletic Track Club & Girls on the Run Heart of Kansas and the like, children of all ages will be able to actively participate in age-appropriate activities, designed for them to learn and gain the most knowledge about the dangers of drugs in a fun way.
• Community Outreach Programs: DEA, along with stakeholder involvement, will concentrate efforts in the communities most affected by opioid misuse and methamphetamine abuse. In those targeted communities, the Wichita Resident Office will participate in facilitating prevention strategies to include, but not limited to, drug prevention training and technical assistance for communities, coalition outreach, and prescription Drug Take Back events to name a few.

These are only a few of the many resources and opportunities we have available to share with our communities.

I invite you and your families, to explore our Operation Engage webpage to learn about the many resources we have available. Learning early on as a family, early on, is the first step in avoiding drug experimentation, drug misuse, drug addiction, and related behaviors that are plaguing our communities.

Always at your service,

Greg Anderson, DEA Wichita Resident Agent in Charge
 

Below is a list of our community partners. Click the links to learn more about each:
Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office
Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office
U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Kansas
Wichita Crime Commission
Wichita Police Department

See a list of local prevention resources below:

Make Good Choices, Youth Initiative

Kansas Department of Children and Families

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) SAMHSA is responsible for overseeing and administering mental health, drug prevention and drug treatment programs around the nation. The agency is made up of 3 centers: The Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP); Center for Mental Health (CMH) and the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT).

Free publications from SAMHSA can be downloaded at http://Store.samhsa.gov

Looking for prevention resources specifically for young people? Go to the teen-focused site www.justthinktwice.com/. Here, they'll be able to get facts about drug use and learn ways to live a drug-free life.

Preventing Youth Opioid Abuse

Opioid addiction has reached crisis levels in communities across the nation. An estimated 2 million Americans will suffer from addiction to prescription opioids or illegal opioids in 2018. About two thirds of deadly drug overdoses in 2016 were due to opioids.

The epidemic is also hitting young people hard. In 2017, about 75 percent of drug overdoses
among 15-24 year olds were related to opioids.

Prevention works when you start early. Stop Youth Opioid Abuse is a multi-channel effort from
the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the Ad Council, and the Truth Initiative that focuses on preventing and reducing the misuse of opioids among youth and young adults.
The campaign also hosts a website, opioids.thetruth.com, which also includes information about opioids, the epidemic, and evidence-based drug treatment.


Combating the Opioid Crisis: Schools, Students, Families (U.S. Department of Education)

This site discusses the role of schools, students, parents and guardians, and the
Department of Education in combating the nationwide opioid epidemic.

D.A.R.E.-Drug Abuse Resistance Education
D.A.R.E.’s primary mission is to provide children with the information and skills they need to live drug and violence free lives.

Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD)
SADD is a youth-based, peer-to-peer organization that promotes youth empowerment and uses peer influence to spread the message of positive decision-making. The SADD organization is comprised of thousands of Chapters that embrace a "no-use" policy and help educate their peers about potentially destructive decisions regarding underage drinking, impaired driving, other drug use, bullying, and suicide.

Looking for substance misuse treatment options near you? Go to Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services website for a list of local options

You can also go to FindTreatment.gov to search for general drug treatment facilities in your area. On this site, you can find facilities that offer various payment options (including free and no-cost care), youth treatment facilities, special programs for Veterans, plus more.

Otherwise, enter your zipcode below to find substance abuse treatment facilities in your area.  

Local Events:

Oct. 24-31 – Red Ribbon Week