Drug Free Athens/ Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Athens plans to use a comprehensive approach to reduce use of alcohol, marijuana, nicotine, and RX drugs among youth under 21 years. - The purpose of the Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Athens is to establish and strengthen collaborations to support the efforts of the Athens- Clarke County community to work collectively to prevent and reduce substance use among youth by addressing the factors in a community that increase the risk of substance use and promote the factors that minimize the risk of substance use. The programs and strategies identified will provide a comprehensive approach to utilize the Seven Strategies for Community-Level Change and the Strategic Prevention Framework. The mission of the Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Athens is to reduce the use of alcohol, marijuana, prescription drugs, and vaping as method to use nicotine and THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) products by the Athens- area youth by promoting awareness and education of substance abuse and its consequences through community engagement. Athens-Clarke County (ACC), Georgia is a city of 128,195 people, according to 2021estimates, located in northeast Georgia. Athens serves as an employment, cultural, educational, business, medical, and social services center for surrounding, mostly rural, counties. The city is racially and ethnically diverse with 64.8% White, 29.0% African American, 11.0% Hispanic or Latino, 4.8% Asian, 0.7% American Indian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian, and 5.2% Other races. Demographically, Athens as a whole is a relatively young town with a median age of 28.3 years, approximately 10 years younger than the median age of the U.S. population. Numerous publications, including Outside Magazine, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, AARP, and GQ, identify Athens as one of the best places to live and/or retire in America. Many of these sources cite the city’s rich arts and music, culinary culture, nightlife, outdoor activities, healthcare, sports, location, weather, inexpensiveness, and architectural beauty as its strengths. City leaders are building a strong base of manufacturing and industry, even as a new technology start-up incubation site. Athens is perhaps best known as home to the University of Georgia (UGA), which serves over 40,000 students and employs over 11,000 faculty and staff, making it a crucial part of the city’s economy and identity. In recent years, UGA climbed rankings both as an academic institution (15th best public university according to U.S. News and World Report), and as a“party school”. According to the 2015 Princeton Review, UGA ranked as 8th best party school. Downtown Athens services this party culture with over 70 bars in one square mile and an atmosphere of permissive substance abuse. In addition, Athens has some of the most permissive laws toward marijuana use among Georgia cities; possession of a small amount of marijuana in Athens-Clarke County (ACC) carries a fine of $35, compared with a maximum fine of $1,000 at the state level. With a $1.9 billion budget, the 762 acres of UGA’s campus and adjacent downtown area present Athens as a prosperous community. However, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, ACC has a poverty rate of 26.6%, almost double that of Georgia’s. A 2021 compiled list listed Athens’ poverty rate as the eighth highest of any city in the United States with a population of more than 100,000. The median household income is $43,466, compared to $69,021 for the state. The rate of children in poverty in ACC is 23.1%, and 44.8% of children live in single parent homes, according to the Kids Count Data Center. Over 7% of children live in families where their parents lack secure employment, and the teen pregnancy rate per 1,000 is 16.1. Nearly 75% of students in the Clarke County School District (CCSD), which serves over 13,000 students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, qualify for the federal free or reduced lunch program.
