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Tonko Announces $250,000 for Capital Region Youth Addiction Prevention Programs

Drug-Free Communities grant to help prevent local youth substance use

“More Americans died from a drug overdose last year than were lost at the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis. Several of our local organizations are on the front lines of this fight, doing critical work to combat the spread of addiction in our region. Whether they are working to prevent opioid abuse or educating our young people about the dangers of alcohol and drugs, I am proud of their efforts and congratulate them on this well-deserved federal support.” - Rep. Paul Tonko

ALBANY, NYCongressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) announced today that $250,000 has been awarded to two Capital Region organizations through the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Drug-Free Communities (DFC) program. The awards will go to support programs that help prevent youth substance use in two local Capital Region communities, including:

  • Troy Drug Free Community Coalition: $125,000
  • Niskayuna Community Action Program: $125,000

Congressman Paul Tonko: “More Americans died from a drug overdose last year than were lost at the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis. Several of our local organizations are on the front lines of this fight, doing critical work to combat the spread of addiction in our region. Whether they are working to prevent opioid abuse or educating our young people about the dangers of alcohol and drugs, I am proud of their efforts and congratulate them on this well-deserved federal support.”

Richard Baum, Acting Director of National Drug Control Policy: “We’re losing more than 60,000 people per year to drug overdose, but if we can stop young people from starting to use drugs in the first place, we can save lives. Our local DFC coalitions are a key part of this effort because they are bringing together parents groups, schools, healthcare professionals, law enforcement, businesses, and others to prevent drug use and improve the health of the community.”

Dr. Elinore McCance-Katz, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use: “SAMHSA looks forward to working with its community partners in implementing evidence-based practices to impact the community and help youth.” The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is responsible for the day-to-day management of the DFC Program.

A 2016 study by SAMHSA showed an estimated 3,200 young people per day between the ages of 12 and 17 used drugs for the first time in the preceding year.

The DFC 2016 National Evaluation End-of-Year Report found that at least 97% of middle school and 93% of high school youth report that they have not illicitly used prescription drugs in the past 30-days in DFC communities. Perception of risk of illicit prescription drug use was generally high (80-84%).

The report also found that perceived risk of illicit use of prescription drugs was very similar to perceived risk of tobacco use (80-83%), and was higher than for both alcohol (69-73%) and marijuana use (53-73%). Finally, the report detailed that peer disapproval of illicit prescription drug use increased significantly for both age groups within all DFC coalitions.

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