Substance Abuse Prevention

Opioid Prevention PSAs

To find the Prescription Drug Drop Box location near you for safe disposal of medications in Georgia, click https://prescriptiondrugdisposal.com/

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) is the primary funder of substance abuse prevention services in Georgia. SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) delivers prevention services through a comprehensive, multi-strategic prevention approach by

  • Providing national leadership in the development of policies, programs, and services to prevent the onset of illegal drug use, prescription drug misuse and abuse, alcohol misuse and abuse, and underage alcohol and tobacco use and
  • Promoting effective substance abuse prevention practices that enable states, communities, and other organizations to apply prevention knowledge effectively.

DBHDD facilitates the administration of SAMHSA funds along with the individual funding provided by the State of Georgia government for projects, services, and initiatives.

Annual SYNAR Report

The Annual SYNAR Report (ASR) format provides the means for states to comply with the reporting provisions of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300x-26) and the Tobacco Regulation for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SABG) (45 C.F.R. 96.130 (e)).

Current Substance Abuse Prevention Initiatives & Projects

Alcohol & Substance Abuse Prevention Project (ASAPP)
The ASAPP funds state-wide efforts for alcohol and substance abuse prevention. Currently, Georgia is addressing the early onset of alcohol use and abuse and binge drinking among youth 9-25 years old as major public health issues. The project requires all contracted providers to participate in a state-level evaluation and conduct and share results of their own local community evaluations.

Check It!
Georgia law prohibits the sale of tobacco, tobacco products, and alcohol to persons under the age of 21.

  • Tobacco O.C.G.A. § 16-12-171: It is unlawful to sell tobacco or alcohol to any individual under the age of 21 in the State of Georgia.
  • Sell or barter, directly or indirectly, any cigarettes, tobacco products, tobacco-related objects, alternative nicotine products, or vapor products to any individual under the age of 21;
  • It is unlawful for any person to purchase any cigarettes, tobacco products, tobacco-related objects, alternative nicotine products, or vapor products for any individual under the age of 21
  • Advise, counsel, or compel any individual under the age of 21 to smoke, inhale, chew, or use cigarettes, tobacco products, tobacco-related objects, alternative nicotine products, or vapor products.
  • It is unlawful for any individual under the age of 21 to purchase, use or possess any cigarettes, tobacco products, tobacco-related objects, alternative nicotine products, or vapor products
  • It is unlawful for any individual to knowingly use a vapor product within a school safety zone.

Drugs Don’t Work (DDW)
DDW provides assistance to companies across Georgia in achieving state certification as a drug-free workplace. The program provides a sample substance abuse policy, discounted drug testing, annual employee drug education, and supervisor training, monthly training newsletters, employee assistance programs (EAP), and a list of treatment and counseling centers.

GASPS Data Warehouse
The GA Strategic Prevention System Data Warehouse is an online repository containing a wealth of information on substance abuse, its consequences, and related social indicators. County-level data includes student health surveys, substance abuse-related arrests, traffic morbidity and mortality, vital records information, child wellness indicators, and substance abuse treatment admissions.

Generation Prescription Drug (Gen Rx)
The GEN Rx Project is a response to the growing epidemic of prescription drug abuse among youth and young adults in Georgia. GEN Rx works to implement evidence-based strategies to reduce prescription abuse among 12 – 25-year-olds within the targeted areas of Catoosa, Early, and Gwinnett counties. The project is through a Federal SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) grant. 

Georgia Teen Institute
Georgia Teen Institute (GTI), an initiative of Gwinnett United in Drug Education, Inc. (GUIDE), is a youth leadership program for Youth Action Teams throughout Georgia. The institute begins with a summer training program and continues with year-round support. GTI is dedicated to providing young people in middle and high schools with opportunities to become strong leaders.

GA Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Collaborative (GADAPC)
GADAPC is composed of public and private sectors and works collectively across Georgia to prevent and reduce prescription drug abuse through education, monitoring, proper medication disposal, and enforcement.
Collaborative members network with community and political leaders to monitor policy, law enforcement, and legislative efforts around these issues.

Maternal Substance Abuse Child Development (MSACD)
Through a statewide contract with Emory University, the MSACD Prevention Program is committed to raising awareness of the devastating effects of alcohol and other substances when used during pregnancy by providing a range of prevention services to agencies, communities, and families across the state of Georgia.

National Prevention Week (NPW)
National Prevention Week (NPW) is a public education platform that promotes prevention year-round by providing ideas, capacity building, tools, and resources to help individuals and communities make substance use prevention happen every day. NPW culminates in May recognizing the important work that has been done in communities throughout the year to inspire action and prevent substance use and mental disorders.

Prevention Clubhouses
DBHDD funds three very innovative and unique prevention clubhouses that provide prevention services to high-risk youth ages 12-17 through evidence-based curriculums, peer mentorship, and interactive programs for building coping decision-making, and life skills. These clubhouses provide a safe, comfortable, and exciting place for the youth they serve:

SYNAR (GA DOR) Tobacco Compliance
The goal of the Synar Amendment (passed in 1992 and sponsored by Congressman Mike Synar of Oklahoma) is to reduce the number of successful illegal tobacco purchases by minors to no more than 20 percent of attempted buys. DBHDD partners with the Georgia Department of Revenue Alcohol & Tobacco Division, and the University of Georgia Carl Vinson Institute on Government to enforce state laws against the sale of tobacco products to minors.

State Targeted Response (STR) Opioid Crisis
In 2017, DBHDD was awarded a two-year grant from the Substance Abuse Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) to address the opioid crisis. In the first year, DBHDD received $11.8 million to address the opioid crisis by increasing access to treatment, reducing unmet treatment needs, and reducing opioid overdose-related deaths through the provision of prevention, treatment, and recovery activities.

State Opioid Response (SOR)
In 2018, DBHDD was awarded a two-year grant from the Substance Abuse Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) to address the opioid crisis. The SOR initiatives collaborate with a variety of community-based organizations, academic institutions, public safety departments, and mass media agencies to deliver evidence-based strategies, practices, and programs.

Red Ribbon Campaign
The Red Ribbon Campaign is a media and activity-driven strategy aimed at building universal awareness of the importance of a drug-free lifestyle. During each year’s Red Ribbon Week (October 23–31), schools and communities are encouraged to develop messages and activities to demonstrate their commitment to living drug-free lifestyles.

Vaping
Vaping refers to the use of any device, such as an electronic cigarette, or e-cigarette, which fundamentally heats a liquid solution into an aerosol that is inhaled into the lungs of the person using it. These devices are sometimes referred to as electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). They include e-cigarettes, e-cigs, e-pipes, e-cigars, cigalikes, e-hookahs, mods, vapes, vape pens, tank systems, and rebuildable dripping atomizers.

Voices for Prevention (V4P)
V4P provides policy education regarding substance abuse prevention-related legislation and supporting activities for service providers, school systems, representatives, parents, and community members. They collaborate with law enforcement agencies to develop and employ tools that reduce and prevent substance abuse in Georgia.

Young Women and Substance Use Online Course
The Young Women and Substance Use Course is intended for individuals who may one day become parents or who already have children and may have more. It is also intended for teachers or instructors who want to address substance use and pregnancy with their students, as well as health care providers and other professionals who want to increase awareness of these topics among the people they serve. 

The Young Women and Substance Use Course explains how using substances such as marijuana, alcohol, opioids, and tobacco during pregnancy or while breastfeeding can affect a developing baby. The goal is to raise awareness around substance use during pregnancy and reduce preventable maternal and infant health issues. The online course is self-paced and includes six sections, which can be completed one at a time or all at once. This course was developed in partnership with Emory University's Center for Maternal Substance Abuse and Child Development.