DFC-Unified Prevention Coalition of Dona Ana County, NM (YR 6-10) - Project Abstract The Unified Prevention Coalition for Doña Ana County, New Mexico, works to prevent and reduce substance use among youth aged 12-18 by increasing enforcement of alcohol-related laws, reducing social access to alcohol and other substances, increasing perception of legal and health risk consequences of alcohol and marijuana use, and educating parents on the dangers of youth substance use. Doña Ana County, population 221,655, is in Southern New Mexico, bordering Mexico. It is the second-most populated county in the state. Approximately 69% of the population identifies as Hispanic (mostly of Mexican origin), and 48% speak Spanish at home. The Coalition serves the county’s largest city of Las Cruces (population 112,914) and its small, rural municipalities and unincorporated communities, including more than 37 colonias (settlements along the U.S.-Mexican border that lack basic infrastructure and services). Higher than the state average, approximately 27.3% of children live in poverty in Doña Ana County. (NM IBIS, 2023) The median household income in Doña Ana County is $47,722 lower than the nation’s $70,784. (US Census 2015) High poverty rates put youth at risk for school failure and other negative outcomes, including maladaptive behaviors like risky sexual behavior, dating violence, substance abuse, and addiction. DFC Goals and Objectives: With DFC 6-10 funding, we will expand our prevention efforts to address youth social access to alcohol and social and retail access to marijuana. Our goal is to prevent and reduce alcohol and marijuana use among Doña Ana County youth ages 12-18 by implementing diverse strategies and the following objectives. It is estimated that 114,000 youth, parents, and community members will be served annually and throughout the lifetime of the DFC project. • Improve Coalition collaboration by engaging members, conducting annual capacity assessments, and providing training and activities to address areas for improvement. • Increase parents’ knowledge and skills to prevent underage drinking • Increasing the perceived risk of legal consequences for retailers for breaking marijuana-related laws by implementing a tip line and publicizing enforcement efforts and activities. • Decrease youth social access from parents/guardians through social norming campaigns. • Implement the Bootcamp translation process to increase awareness of the risk of youth alcohol use and youth marijuana product use in Spanish. • Increase The perception by parents of the health risks of youth use of marijuana and marijuana products. • Increasing the perceived risk of legal consequences for retailers for breaking marijuana-related laws by implementing a tip line and publicizing enforcement efforts and activities. • Reduce youth marijuana and marijuana products retail access by implementing the Responsible Cannabis Retail Model The Coalition’s evaluation committee will collect data through a variety of methods. Regularly scheduled data collection, analysis, and reporting will assist the Coalition in tracking goals, objectives and activities listed in the Action Plan.
