What’s New
On March 18, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. renewed the public health emergency declaration addressing the nation’s opioid crisis. This renewed declaration will allow sustained federal coordination efforts and preserve key flexibilities that enable HHS to continue leveraging expanded authorities to conduct certain activities in response to the opioid overdose crisis.
April is Alcohol Awareness Month. This observance provides an important opportunity to educate communities on the positive impact of underage drinking prevention efforts.
This SAMHSA-developed Alcohol Awareness Month social media toolkit offers resources and support to help you bring awareness and understanding of alcohol use and misuse to your community. Other SAMHSA resources on alcohol use and misuse prevention, treatment, and recovery support services can be found at: samhsa.gov/substance-use/learn/alcohol.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) offers countless resources on alcohol’s effects on health, including facts about underage drinking prevention as it relates to middle school and teenage students. You can access and share these resources here.
The Northwest Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) launched its own Alcohol Awareness Toolkit this year, including social media meme templates organized by weekly themes, sample proclamation templates, and more. Access the toolkit.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs while also educating the general public about the potential for misuse of medications. The next Take Back Day is scheduled for April 26, starting at 10 a.m.
To find a collection site, go to dea.gov/takebackday. You also can read about the results of previous Take Back Days.
If you can’t make the April 26 Take Back Day, keep in mind that there are more than 16,500 pharmacies, hospitals, and businesses where old, unneeded, or unused drugs can be disposed of year-round. Find these everyday drop-off locations and learn more about DEA’s new “Every Day is Take Back Day” campaign.
Spring break is a good time to talk with high school and college students about underage drinking prevention, whether you’re a prevention professional, parent or caregiver, educator, or other community partner. SAMHSA’s “Talk. They Hear You.”® campaign has resources to help you start—and keep up—conversations about the dangers of drinking alcohol and using other drugs at a young age.
Just several examples of these resources include:
- Answering Your Child’s Tough Questions (fact sheet);
- TV, radio, and print PSAs;
- School and educator resources highlighting the ways teachers, administrators, and other school professionals can play a role in preventing underage drinking and other substance use; and
- The “Talk. They Hear You.” campaign podcast: “What Parents Are Saying—Prevention Wisdom, Authenticity, and Empowerment.”
In addition, the “Talk. They Hear You.” campaign’s mobile application helps parents and caregivers who want to turn everyday situations into opportunities to have conversations about alcohol and other drugs. Download it today from the App Store, Google Play, or the Microsoft Store.
“Campus Drug Prevention,” a DEA website, has debuted updated English and Spanish versions of college-specific drug fact cards on cannabis use, impaired driving, and prescription drug misuse.
These fact cards highlight:
- The prevalence of marijuana use, impaired driving, and prescription drug misuse among college students;
- Marijuana’s status under federal law;
- The consequences of marijuana use, impaired driving, and prescription drug misuse among college students;
- Things you can do to prevent marijuana use, impaired driving, and prescription drug misuse among college students; and resources.
In February, DEA’s “Prevention Profiles: Take Five” podcast featured a discussion with representatives of the three winning campuses of the 2024 Red Ribbon Week Campus Video PSA Contest sponsored by DEA and SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. Podcast guests included:
- Haley Farrell-Kissun, a senior majoring in media and entertainment at Kennesaw State University;
- Jose Vallejo, Assistant Director of Collegiate Recovery, Baylor University; and
- Sydney Holcomb, Content Specialist in the Center for Campus Wellness, University of Utah.
During the interview, Haley, Jose, and Sydney discussed why their campuses decided to enter the contest, how they came up with the ideas behind their winning PSAs, benefits to entering the contest, and more. Watch the recorded podcast here, and if you haven’t seen them yet, you can watch the winning PSAs here.
What is the legal status of marijuana? How does fentanyl affect the body? To answer these and other drug-related questions, DEA has released updated drug fact sheets detailing the history, use, effects, street names, and scheduling status of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, vaping and marijuana concentrates, and many other drugs.
These fact sheets, available in both English and Spanish, are excerpted from the 2024 “Drugs of Abuse,” which is also available in English (PDF | 4.4 MB) and Spanish (PDF | 6.9 MB).
The Screen4Success tool screens for health, wellness, and well-being by asking questions about a child’s life. It’s a quick and easy way to identify areas where someone may benefit from more support and provides local and national resources to help address those concerns. Access it on your mobile device by downloading the “Talk. They Hear You.” campaign’s mobile app and selecting the Screening button from the app’s main navigation.
SAMHSA published the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) 2023 annual estimates for substance-related emergency department visits. The report contains nationally representative data including weighted estimates, demographics, drug types and rates, and information on polysubstance use. Of note, the 2023 report shows that the frequency of substance-related visits increased by 5.8 percent compared to estimates in 2022. The top substances reported were alcohol, cannabis, opioids, methamphetamines, cocaine, and benzodiazepines.
The DEA and the National Family Partnership announced the winners of the 2024 National Red Ribbon Week Photo Contest. This year, between home and school submissions, there were 20 winners chosen for numerous categories, including Most Creative, Most Ambitious, Best Use of Family and Community, Best Use of Theme, and Most Educational. Watch this slideshow to see the winning entries.