The Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan conducts an annual survey completed by students in grades 8, 10 and 12. A subset of that group is tracked through adulthood. Their headline finding of the Monitoring the Future survey this year was that marijuana and hallucinogen use among young adults 19 to 30 years old reached all-time high in 2021. Other key findings for young adults from the press release include:

Red Ribbon Week, which is observed annually on October 23-31, highlights the importance of preventing drug abuse in our nation’s schools and communities and committing to living a healthy, drug-free lifestyle. It began after people started wearing red ribbons honoring Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena following his murder in 1985.

One of the ways in which you can help commemorate Red Ribbon Week this year is to Go Red for Red Ribbon, which brings awareness to living a drug-free… read more

A new brief, Responding to the Current Youth Mental Health Crisis and Preventing the Next One, summarizes a three-day workshop of the same name by the Forum for Children's Wellbeing. The workshop addressed community-level prevention and promotion strategies, practices and policies with potential to promote positive mental health.

The Art and Science of Community Organizing Training (ASCOT) will be offered two more times in 2022. Each session lasts for six consecutive weeks from 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. and costs $850, with scholarships available.

The ASCOT curriculum includes:

For more information on… read more

The Pharmacy Safe Storage program, funded by the Washington State Health Care Authority, invites pharmacies across the state to help keep opioid prescriptions safely stored by providing free locking bags for patients and asking community members to pledge to lock up their meds.

The program focuses on the power of positive social norming, using the power of a pledge to hold participants accountable to safely store their prescriptions at home. Last year, we saw great participation and… read more

The Say It Out Loud (SIOL) Conference planning is underway for 2023. The SIOL Conference has been around for 21 years and provides training and education to service providers, parents, and guardians to better serve and support individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual (LGBTQIA+). We would like to gauge interest and invite youth coalitions who are implementing projects and programs that are LGBTQ+ focused to present, sharing the great work you’… read more

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration are once again cosponsoring the annual Red Ribbon Campus Video PSA Contest. The contest opens on September 12, so be sure to visit the contest webpage on or after that date for the official rules and instructions on how to enter.

Attached is this year’s promotional flyer; feel free to share it with your partners in prevention.

The Healthy Youth Survey (HYS) Planning Committee is hosting focus groups with Washington youth to pilot test some of the HYS questions. We are seeking a diverse group of youth participation. The focus groups will take place in October, will last about 90 minutes, and youth will be compensated with a $25 gift card for their time. Do you know any middle/high school aged youth who might like to participate? Please email Miranda Calmjoy for more information.

The Washington Poison Center is offering a free series on overdose prevention, harm reduction, and treatment. Over the course of two weeks (August 8-19), you'll explore unintentional and intentional factors that can lead to overdose, how to respond to different overdose situations, how to prevent and reduce harm from overdose, and how to access resources and treatment in the state of Washington. Visit the Washington Poison Center's website to learn more and register for sessions.