Coalition efforts in the news

As part of a community-wide plan to prevent underage drinking, coalition members have been working to get a local mini-mart's liquor license revoked because they have a long history of selling alcohol to minors. The Liquor Control Board recently sent the store owners a letter stating that their license would not be renewed and that they could appeal through a hearing in front of the State Office of Administrative Hearings. The owners asked for a hearing -- it is not unusual for such hearings to take a year or more to schedule.

Yesterday, KING5 and KOMO-TV picked up on the story.

Following are links to the letters from the Seattle Police Department and the Liquor Control Board regarding this matter.

March 31, 2009 Seattle Police Department letter to the Liquor Control Board

April 24, 2009 letter from the coalition to the Liquor Control Board

May 7, 2009 Seattle Police Department letter to the Liquor Control Board

July 17, 2009 Liquor Control Board letter to store owners

This is a good example of how a community can come together to make a difference. Dedicated people at the Seattle Police Department, Seattle City Attorney's Office, Washington State Liquor Control Board, and local media, especially KING5, have worked on this issue. Coalition members wrote letters in support of SPD's request. Together, these are the people to thank for bringing this problem to light and trying to prevent underage drinking by reducing youth access to alcohol.

Secure medicine return

Yesterday, I attended a meeting about the proposed Washington State Secure Medicine Return Bill that was introduced in the House and the Senate this year but did not make it to the floor for a vote. Advocates for this bill include substance abuse prevention advocates (who are concerned about prescription drug abuse), environmentalists (who are concerned with medicines being found in our water), and law enforcement (who are concerned about controlled substances).

Group Health and Bartell Drugs have implemented successful medicine return programs and the bill would expand medicine return programs statewide. The bill will be re-introduced in the upcoming session and it is expected that the pharmaceutical industry will, once again, launch a strong campaign in opposition.

Did you know . . . .

-- Over half of those using prescription drugs for non-medical reasons obtained them from a friend or relative.

-- One-third of all new abusers of prescription drugs in 2005 were 12-17 year olds.

A community workgroup led by the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute at the University of Washington recently unveiled its King County 2008 drug trends report. It found:

-- Drug related deaths involving prescription opiates totaled 153 in 2008, more than double the number of deaths from any other substance.

-- While the numbers are very low in northeast Seattle, in King County, 8% of tenth grade students reported using prescription opiates to get high in the past month according to the Healthy Youth Survey.

Eckstein drug/alcohol counselor position open

The position of Prevention Intervention Specialist (PI) in northeast Seattle is open and posted online. The position is funded through the SPF-SIG grant that funds the Prevention WINS coalition and is based out of Eckstein Middle School. The person in this job also works at Nathan Hale and Roosevelt High Schools. A PI position is also open for Madison Middle School.

Scare tactics are not prevention strategies

Many studies have been done on the effectiveness of drug prevention strategies. According to these studies, the following have been shown to be largely ineffective for reducing substance abuse:

-- information dissemination approaches which teach primarily about drugs and their effects;

-- fear arousal approaches that emphasize the risks associated with drug use, such as mock car crashes;

-- moral appeal approaches which teach youth about the evils of use;

-- affective education programs which focus on building self-esteem, responsible decision-making, and interpersonal growth.

When planning for prevention programs, the following links provide guidance about what does work:

Principles of Effective Substance Abuse Prevention;

Sixteen Prevention Principles.

Social norms marketing

In the July coalition newsletter, the main article is about social norms.

Some coalitions are doing social norms marketing campaigns in their communities. These campaigns use a product marketing strategy that creates an association between the product and something that the consumer wants. For example, here is a beer ad that has nothing to do with beer and more to do with what the beer company thinks their target audience wants. (Image thanks to the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth.)

Social marketing campaigns with a prevention message use images of what their target audience wants. For example, the poster below shows a parent and a child communicating with one another. It is meant to elicit the natural protective, loving feelings parents have toward their children and associate that with the "Most of Us" campaign. Its message is positive and reinforces the community norm: most parents talk to their kids.

Autumn general meetings

During the 2009-10 school-year, the Prevention WINS coalition's general meetings will be held the third Thursday of the month with times alternating between early morning and late afternoon. This fall, coalition meetings will be held:

September 7, 7:30 a.m.
October 15, 4:30 p.m.
November 19, 7:30 a.m.
December 17, 4:30 p.m.

Meetings will continue to be held at Eckstein Middle School and are open to the community.

During the meetings this fall, the coalition will work together to determine what new strategies we want to implement to address our specific community needs if we are awarded a Drug Free Communities grant in 2010. Be a part of planning for the future and plan to attend the meetings!

Prevention benefits outweigh costs

The cost of substance abuse could be offset by a nationwide implementation of effective prevention policies and programs, according to Substance Abuse Prevention Dollars and Cents: A Cost-Benefit Analysis published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The report includes information about the benefits reaped by implementing programs such as Guiding Good Choices for parents and Life Skills Training for students, both of which are being implemented by the Prevention WINS coalition. It also shows that environmental strategies such as alcohol taxes, 21 minimum legal drinking age, and mandatory server trainings have benefits that outweigh costs.

Is youth drug use making a comeback?

According to a policy brief by Carnevale Associates:

While the nation has been celebrating its success in reducing youth drug use, this celebration may be short-lived. History has shown that the current climate seems ripe for an alarming increase in youth drug use. Providing prevention resources to engage communities in embracing evidence-based programs, policies, and practices is the most cost-effective and reliable solution.

What is SPF-SIG?

The Prevention WINS coalition in northeast Seattle is funded by a SPF-SIG grant from the Washington State Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse (DASA). So, what is SPF-SIG, you ask?

SPF-SIG stands for Strategic Prevention Framework - State Incentive Grant. These grants have been awarded to states from the national Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) uses a five-step process that guides communities as they plan for, implement, and evaluate prevention programs. More information about SPF-SIG is available by clicking here. The link includes a link to a Web-based application to help communities undertake each of the five steps.

Where teens hear prevention messages

A national survey finds a decrease in the percentage of teenagers seeing substance abuse prevention messages in the media. The same report shows a significant rise in the level of teenagers who engaged in substance abuse-related conversations with at least one parent.