First Lady Casey DeSantis launches campaign to educate children about the risks of drugs, vaping

LAKE MARY, Fla. - On Wednesday afternoon, Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis launched an awareness campaign to educate children about the risks of drugs, including vaping.

"I believe that we owe it to our children to empower them about the facts," she said while speaking at Greenwood Lakes Middle in Lake Mary.

The campaign, called “The Facts. Your Future,” plans to compile facts, science, expert opinion and testimonials to be presented to students across Florida.

“It’s really doubling down on statewide efforts to educate our kids about the dangers of drug abuse,” DeSantis said. The idea is if children are told the hard truth, they may steer clear of drugs. This comes after opioids claimed the lives of 11 children in Florida last year.

Several other Florida officials support the campaign, including Attorney General Ashley Moody, Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees, Department of Education Richard Corcoran, Department of Children and Families Secretary Chad Poppell, and Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma.

“This campaign, the facts. Your future, will help everyone in the schools, will help parents, community members, tackle that somewhat overwhelming task of communicating the dangers of drugs to our children,” said Ashley Moody, Attorney General, Florida.

Sheriff Leema said that the best way to combat drug abuse is to prevent it from happening in the first place. The First Lady’s office is working with state leaders on a tool kit for schools to distribute the information to students.

Vaping is also a component of the campaign.

FOX 35 News streamed the news conference on their Facebook page.