Empowering Communities: Allen County Drug & Alcohol Consortium's Drug Free Communities Project - The drugs of abuse primary chosen by youth on a regular basis in Allen County are alcohol, marijuana, and prescription drugs, according to NOMs surveys, focus groups, anecdotal coalition committee comments, and local news coverage. Alcohol remains the leading substance of use and abuse for youth. Alcohol is a gateway drug on that pathway to the experimentation, abuse, and addiction of many other more potent mood-altering drugs. In addition to more youth using the illegal substance of alcohol, some of the youth are dangerously binge drinking or mixing alcohol with caffeine and other substances. Traditionally most youth alcohol use has occurred during large parties but there is a growing concern for small isolated small use as well, making detection and enforcement more difficult. School administrators state that few students come to school impaired, but they recognize school as a place where students organize and plan their drinking and drug using situations. Too many adults and parents report the false belief that it is safe for youth to drink at home and are surprised when given information about human brain development and the disproportionate damage that under-aged and binge drinking creates. Local leaders and experts report that many youth wrongly believe that since prescription medications are not street drugs, are presented in a uniformly manufactured form, and are prescribed by a doctor, that they are safe for their casual consumption and recreational use. Youth have ready access to prescription medications through homes, friends, neighbors, relatives, and the internet. Indiana ranks in the highest tier of per capita opioid abuse, and pharmaceutical retail robberies. We have set some records in the size of physician "pill mill" busts for opioid abuse. There is not yet a strong enough culture of disposing and securing medications in order to keep others safe. Prescription drug abuse and addiction are precursors for transferring to cheaper and highly available street heroin. Allen County's eastern border is the Ohio state line, which leads the country per capita in heroin overdoses. According to local law enforcement and treatment professionals, of those people addicted to heroin, opioids, and opiates, seventy-five percent report initiating their addiction through prescription drug use and abuse. In order to reduce opiate and opioid addiction, youth and their caring adults need to be informed about the hazards of prescription drug abuse. Local treatment providers describe the rapidly escalating numbers of 19 to 24-year-old adults who are presenting for heroin and/or prescription drug addiction treatment, having become addicted in their teen years. DAC is working to increase community collaboration, through the strengthening of internal capacity and bringing youth into the planning processes for preventing alcohol and substance use. DAC's strategies include strengthening the skills of youth coalition members to organize, provide information, provide support and modify policies not currently working within the community. The goals also include reducing substance use in 6th to 12th graders, y increasing the perception of harm of alcohol and other drugs.
