STATE PROGRAM TARGETING DRUGS AT RISK DUE TO CUTS

Florida's successful drug and alcohol prevention efforts in schools
and communities are in jeopardy.

Fueled by federal funding through the Safe and Drug Free Schools and
Communities grants, the Sunshine State has served as a model for the
country, promoting strong drug prevention efforts through a robust
system of prevention coalitions across the state.

Since 1999, the Florida Office of Drug Control has organized and
empowered an effective statewide network of grassroots prevention
coalitions that has been remarkably successful in protecting our youth
from drugs and alcohol.

Florida currently funds 48 community coalitions, including 25 that
also receive Drug Free Community Support Grants. Our prevention
activities are state-of-the-art, cost efficient and require the use of
evidence-based practices that have shown positive results.

Although federally funded, prevention messages and programs are always
tailored to fit the specific needs of the local community.

How successful have we been in keeping our youth off
drugs?

Since 2000, we have been measuring our outcomes with the Florida Youth
Substance Abuse Survey, a yearly statewide survey of over 62,000
middle and high school students.

The results? Florida youth have dramatically reduced drug use since
2000, with past 30-day use of cigarettes, steroids, heroin and
methamphetamine lowered by more than 50 percent and marijuana and
alcohol reduced by 15 percent, thanks to tremendous efforts by
community prevention coalitions and schools.

Sadly, the loss of federal funding puts these gains in
danger.

Beginning in October, Florida will lose a total of $13.3 million from
the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities grant program, which
has funded prevention efforts in Florida since 1987.

With this cut, Florida will be left with only two sources of dedicated
prevention funding: $25 million from a federal block grant and $1.1
million from the state's general revenue - not enough to sustain our
programs

This looming cut will reduce Florida's total drug and alcohol
prevention funding by nearly 35 percent. It eliminates funding
designated for school-based prevention programs and reduces local
community capacity to address their specific issues.

The most effective way to address drug abuse is to convince youth to
never try drugs. Stopping drug use before it starts is the key to
having safe, healthy families and productive communities.

When Florida loses this federal funding, many successful school and
community programs will be terminated. This cut will reverse years of
hard-earned progress, and will take many more years - if ever - to
recover from.

The loss of these programs (and the people who run them) at a time
when we have gained so much ground will severely diminish our
community prevention coalitions. It sends the message that drug
prevention is not a priority. It puts our next generation - our most
precious resource - at risk.

Cutting prevention is truly "penny-wise and pound-foolish." The
combined medical, social, economic and criminal justice impact of the
abuse of alcohol, nicotine and illicit substances costs Floridians
$3.1 billion every year.

Current research shows that for every dollar invested in
research-based prevention, $10 is saved in treatment costs alone.

No dollar value, of course, can be placed on the human suffering and
anguish that result when parents witness a child descend into drug use
that culminates in addiction, prison or death.

Prevention saves children's lives and builds stronger communities.
That's the best investment we can make.

Bruce D. Grant is director of the Florida Office of Drug Control