Communities Are Leading the Way to Prevent Youth Substance Use

This year marks the 25^th anniversary of the Drug-Free Communities Support Program (DFC).  Since its inception, the DFC program has been a central component of our nation’s youth substance use prevention strategy. The program has grown from $10 million in 1998 to over $110 million in 2023, a testament to its bipartisan support.

Led by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the DFC program provides funding and support to community coalitions to prevent and reduce youth substance use. The DFC program goals are to:

• Establish and strengthen collaboration among communities, public and private non-profit agencies, and Federal, state, local, and tribal governments to support community coalitions working to prevent and reduce youth substance use.
• Reduce substance use among youth and, over time, reduce substance use among adults by addressing the factors in a community that increase risk for substance use and promoting factors that minimize risk for substance use.

While youth substance use has declined over time, recent data from CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) show that progress has slowed down in reducing adolescent’s use of electronic vaping products and misuse of prescription opioids. In 2021, 23% of high school students consumed alcohol, with almost 11% of high school students engaging in binge drinking. Tobacco use remains common, with about 19 of every 100 high school students (18.7%) reporting current use of a tobacco product, mainly driven by electronic vapor products. Approximately 16% reported current marijuana use and 6% reported current prescription opioid misuse.¹

Disparities in substance use persist and across almost all measures of substance use, female students are faring more poorly than male students.

• White students were more likely than Asian and Black students to have ever used select illicit drugs
• Black and Hispanic students were more likely than Asian and White students to currently misuse prescription opioids
• Black students were less likely than almost all other students to currently use alcohol, but more likely than Asian, Hispanic, or White students to currently use marijuana
• Students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, questioning, or another non-heterosexual identity (LGBQ+) and those who have any same-sex partners were more likely than their peers to have used or misused substances (i.e., ever used select illicit drugs, ever or current prescription opioid misuse, and current alcohol, marijuana, and electronic vapor product use)¹

DFC coalitions are uniquely situated to leverage historical knowledge and the unique needs and assets in their communities to address youth substance use by requiring comprehensive prevention planning with an emphasis on community level change.