Project Grant NH28CE003304

PACT COALITION FOR SAFE AND DRUG-FREE COMMUNITIES CARA TEEN PROJECT - THE PACT COALITION FOR SAFE AND DRUG-FREE COMMUNITIES SERVES CLARK COUNTY, NEVADA, WHICH IS HOME TO WHAT THE WORLD KNOWS AS LAS VEGAS, SIN CITY, ADULT DISNEYLAND, THE STRIP, DOWNTOWN, AND HOME TO APPROXIMATELY 2.2 MILLION PEOPLE AND A LITTLE MORE THAN 70% OF NEVADA?S POPULATION. LAS VEGAS IS A UNIQUE PLACE TO LIVE AND RAISE A FAMILY. HERE WE HAVE A RATE OF ADDICTION THAT IS HIGHER THAN NATIONAL AVERAGES AND IS ALL PART OF THE VEGAS CULTURE. WE HOLD SOME OF THE LOOSEST DRINKING LAWS IN THE COUNTRY, WITH NO RESTRICTIVE OPEN CONTAINER LAWS AND NO SOCIAL HOST LAWS, EVERYWHERE CAN BE A PARTY. THIS IS FURTHER PERPETUATED BY THE FACT THAT LAS VEGAS AND CLARK COUNTY OPERATE ON A TWENTY-FOUR-HOUR CLOCK; ALCOHOL CAN BE ACCESSED AT ANY TIME OF ANY DAY VIA LIQUOR STORES, CONVENIENCE STORES, AND GROCERY OUTLETS. THERE IS NO ?LAST CALL?,, AND THEREFORE NO NEED TO END THE PARTY. THE ENVIRONMENT AND TOURIST CULTURE IN LAS VEGAS LENDS ITSELF TO THE NORMALIZATION OF SUBSTANCE USE. FROM AN?EARLY AGE CHILDREN?ARE EXPOSED TO MEDIA AND MARKETING PROMOTING SUBSTANCE USE. TEENS LEARN TO DRIVE ON FREEWAYS WHERE IT IS NOT UNCOMMON TO SEE BILLBOARDS DISPLAYING PHRASES SUCH AS, ?ALCOHOL: IT?S CHEAPER THAN THERAPY?, ENCOURAGING LIQUOR SALES, A FEATURE UNIQUE TO LAS VEGAS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. ?LAS VEGAS, OR MORE SPECIFICALLY THE CLARK COUNTY REGION, HAS SEEN A SIGNIFICANT SPIKE IN FENTANYL IN THE PAST 12-24 MONTHS. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS HAS COINCIDED WITH THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC AND UNPRECEDENTED UNEMPLOYMENT IN CLARK COUNTY DUE TO THE PANDEMIC. MOST FENTANYL SEIZED IN CLARK COUNTY HAS BEEN IN ILLICITLY MANUFACTURED PRESSED PILLS, OFTEN OXY 30S (HIDTA). THE HEAT MAP OF SUSPECTED FENTANYL OVERDOSES SHOW THAT THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM IN A SINGLE ZIP CODE OR REGION, BUT ACROSS ALL BOUNDARIES, RACE, SOCIOECONOMIC, RURAL, URBAN, ETC. UNFORTUNATELY, WITH THE INCREASE IN FENTANYL IN OUR DRUG SUPPLY, MOST OF THE OVERDOSES ARE OCCURRING IN YOUNGER PEOPLE, AND MOST PEOPLE WHO HAVE FENTANYL IN THEIR SYSTEM ARE NOT DESIROUS OF THE DRUG. OFTEN FENTANYL IS NOT DISCOVERED UNTIL A BODY REACHES THE CORONER?S OFFICE. CLARK COUNTY ALSO HAS A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE WITH ILLICIT ADULT METH USE AND OTHER STIMULANT DRUGS. AS OF 2018, NEVADA HAD THE HIGHEST RATES OF METH OVERDOSES IN THE COUNTRY (CDC). WHILE THE OPIOID CRISIS WAS SWEEPING THE NATION, OUR TREATMENT PROVIDERS ROUTINELY TOLD US THAT WHILE THEY WERE SEEING AN INCREASE IN OPIOID OVERDOSES, THEIR MAIN PROBLEM CONTINUED TO BE STIMULANTS, ESPECIALLY ADULT METH USE. WHAT PACT HAS LEARNED FROM THE DFC GRANT IS THAT IT IS BEST TO START IN A SINGLE SCHOOL AND IN A SINGLE ZIP CODE TO ACHIEVE LASTING CHANGE. PACT HAS ALSO FOUND THAT WHILE CERTAIN AREAS MAY HAVE HIGHER NEED, THOSE AREAS OFTEN ALREADY HAVE MULTIPLE RESOURCES AND ARE LESS LIKELY TO BE WILLING TO PARTNER. FOR THIS REASON, PACT HAS CHOSEN TO PARTNER WITH CIMARRON MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL DUE TO ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIPS, PRINCIPAL BUY IN, ABILITY TO COLLABORATE ON YOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEY DATA AS WELL AS PROXIMITY TO DFC FUNDED PROGRAM AT SIG ROGICH MIDDLE SCHOOL WHICH IS A FEEDER SCHOOL TO CIMARRON. OUR INTENDED LONG-TERM OUTCOMES ARE TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH WHO ARE USING OPIOIDS AND PRESCRIPTION DRUGS AND TO CHANGE THE CULTURE AROUND THESE SUBSTANCES THROUGH INCREASED PERCEPTION OF HARM AND INCREASED PEER/PARENT DISAPPROVAL. PACT MANAGES ALL OF OUR GRANTS IN THE SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION. WITH EVERY FINDING STREAM PACT EITHER DONATES TIME, RESOURCES OR FUNDING TO COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO ENSURE THAT PREVENTION IS EMBEDDED IN ALL LEVELS OF COMMUNITY, AND PACT PLANS TO USE THESE GRANT FUNDS TO CONTINUE TO EMBED PREVENTION OF OPIOID, METH AND PRESCRIPTION MISUSE INTO THE COMMUNITY AS WELL AS CHANGING CULTURE AROUND ACCEPTABILITY OF THESE DRUGS BY FOCUSING ON THE SEVEN STRATEGIES FOR COMMUNITY LEVEL CHANGE AND THE STRATEGIC PREVENTION FRAMEWORK.