About DDWGA

Drugs Don’t Work (DDW) in Georgia is a program of The Council on Alcohol and Drugs, Inc. a 50+ year-old nonprofit 501(c)3 drug prevention agency headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. DDW in Georgia is a partnership program of The Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation, the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, Office of Prevention Services and Programs, and local chambers of commerce. The DDW program is the official drug-free workplace services provider of the state of Georgia as mandated by Georgia Law (OCGA 34-9-410).

The DDW program benefits from its affiliation with the Georgia Chamber of Commerce in that the Georgia Chamber is the “vehicle” that helps to deliver the program to the business community directly, and through local chambers of commerce. Since the contract began, the Drugs Don’t Work program has assisted sixty-eight (68) local chambers of commerce in Georgia in implementing the program in their area. On June 24, 2005 Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue issued a proclamation commending The Council on Alcohol and Drugs and the Drugs Don’t Work Program on its services to the businesses and citizens of Georgia. The DDW program receives funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Prevention through the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, Office of Prevention Services and Programs. DDW in Georgia has been a partnership effort of the Georgia Department of Human Resources Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, Office of Prevention Services and Programs, the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, and local chambers of commerce since January 1, 1993.

The primary goal of the program has been to create healthy communities in which to live and work through establishment of drug-free work places utilizing the guidelines for certification set forth by Georgia law, the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation and the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988. The primary purpose of DDW in Georgia has been, and remains, to assist businesses in the development of comprehensive drug- free workplace programs, to supply free and discounted drug-free workplace services, and to educate working parents on how to talk to their children about drugs. In 1993 the state of Georgia enacted the Drug-Free Workplace Premium Credit Program (OCGA 34-9-410). The legislation was designed to promote drug-free workplaces in Georgia, so that these employers be afforded the opportunity to maximize productivity, enhance competitiveness in the marketplace, and reach desired levels of success without experiencing the costs, delays, and tragedies associated with work related accidents resulting from employee substance abuse.

It works.

The Drugs Don’t Work Program is a powerful drug prevention program because:
 
Drug testing at work is a proven deterrent to drug use (prevention).
 
Drug testing at work encourages abstinence (prevention).
 
Drug education provided to parents who are employees of drug free workplaces (a captive audience) can be shared with their children to help keep them drug and alcohol free (prevention).