The CANDLE Coalition aims to reduce substance use among youth with disabilities in Cortland County, New York. - The Cortland County Coalition on Cannabis & Alcohol: Neighbors with Disability and Lived Experience (CANDLE) serves Cortland County, New York and works to prevent youth substance use through community-wide collaboration and evidence-based strategies. Local data indicate that approximately 54% of students in grades 7–12 report at least one learning, mental health, sensory, or mobility difficulty. Youth with these challenges report disproportionately higher rates of nicotine vaping, frequent cannabis use, including high-potency products, and earlier initiation of alcohol use compared to their peers. These patterns are influenced by lower perceived risk, misperceptions of peer substance use, and access through social networks and home environments. These trends are particularly concerning given that adolescence is a critical period for brain development, and early substance use can negatively impact memory, decision-making, and emotional health. Local data also show that youth with difficulties experience elevated exposure to risk factors, including mental health challenges and adverse childhood experiences, further increasing their vulnerability to substance use and related harms. Established in 2023, the CANDLE Coalition was created to address these disparities through a targeted and inclusive prevention approach. Supported by the Drug-Free Communities Support Program and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the coalition brings together schools, healthcare providers, law enforcement, youth, parents, and community organizations to implement strategies aligned with the SAMHSA Strategic Prevention Framework and Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America Seven Strategies for Community-Level Change. A central focus of this project is reducing barriers to prevention for youth with learning, mental health, sensory, and mobility challenges, a population not fully reached by traditional prevention efforts. To address this gap, the CANDLE Coalition will promote accessibility-informed prevention across the community by training providers in universal design principles, offering technical assistance to improve program accessibility, and expanding opportunities for youth with difficulties to participate in prevention and leadership activities. By embedding these practices across community systems, the coalition aims to ensure that all youth, regardless of ability or circumstance, can meaningfully engage in and benefit from prevention efforts, increasing the reach, engagement, and overall effectiveness of prevention programming for this higher-risk population. In addition to these accessibility-focused efforts, CANDLE will implement complementary community-level strategies, including education and social norms campaigns to correct misperceptions of substance use, skill-building opportunities for youth and families, and inclusive substance-free activities. The coalition will also work to reduce youth access to alcohol, cannabis, and nicotine through responsible retail engagement and promotion of safe storage practices, while advancing policy and systems changes to strengthen and sustain community-wide prevention efforts. Expected outcomes include increased community awareness, improved perception of harm, stronger family and peer norms, reduced access to substances, and expanded implementation of inclusive prevention programming. Over time, these efforts will lead to measurable reductions in substance use among Cortland County youth, particularly those at elevated risk, and contribute to a healthier, more inclusive community.
