"bridging lives: a multi-pronged coalition addressing youth marijuana and prescription drug use" will establish and strengthen community-based efforts to prevent and reduce marijuana and…

"bridging lives: a multi-pronged coalition addressing youth marijuana and prescription drug use" will establish and strengthen community-based efforts to prevent and reduce marijuana and prescription drug use among high school students in grades 9-12 in the community of bridgewater, massachusetts. The suburban town of bridgewater is located 25 miles south of boston and is home to 28,633 residents. This community is made up of predominately white residents (85.1%), in addition to 7.5% black/african american, 0.3% native american, 2.6% asian, 1.8% two or more races and 3.1% hispanic or latino. This project will specifically address the perceived acceptability, availability and access to marijuana, a lack of healthy coping skills as well as the impact that adverse childhood experiences (ACES) has on young people. These risk factors will be minimized through cross-sector community collaboration aimed at improving laws, regulations and policies around youth substance use, decreasing access, and increasing education and resources for all. The outcomes that bridging lives seeks to achieve through the drug free communities support program include increasing outreach to relevant sectors of the community to engage and recruit diverse community stakeholders. The coalition will also improve knowledge regarding patterns of youth marijuana and prescription drug use through the collection and assessment of youth substance use data. The program seeks to improve knowledge of coalition efforts to address youth substance use in bridgewater, as well as, reduce factors that increase the risk of substance use and misuse. Through the development of a peer education network, the coalition will increase promotion of factors that minimize the risk of substance use, as well as increase the ease, ability, and opportunity for youth to access settings, such as resources emphasizing self-efficacy and learning skills that prevent substance use and misuse. The coalition will also decrease the ease, ability, and opportunity for youth to access prescription drugs and marijuana by educating and informing about policies that reduce access, changing consequences and enhancing education about the dangers of use. This work will ultimately lead to strengthened collaboration within the community and a reduction in substance use among youth and adults overtime.