Reducing youth nicotine and cannabis use in irondequoit, NY

The Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded $125,000 on July 1, 2026, to D-Fi Drug-Free Irondequoit Together Inc. (doing business as Uplift Irondequoit) under the Drug-Free Communities Support Program Grants (CFDA 93.276).

Uplift will reduce youth nicotine and cannabis use among school-age students in grades 6–12 across four postal codes in the Town of Irondequoit, New York (14609, 14617, 14621, 14622). The organization will strengthen collaboration among community stakeholders across 12 sectors—including local governments, school districts, and community agencies—to implement prevention strategies, increase coalition membership and youth-led initiatives, and generate volunteer hours. The work targets documented community need: 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey and Substance Use Survey data show past 30-day nicotine use at 3.1% of middle school and 8.1% of high school students, and past 30-day cannabis use at 2.1% of middle school and 12.1% of high school students.

The award runs through June 30, 2031, and is structured as a cooperative agreement under the DFC program, which establishes and strengthens community coalitions working to prevent and reduce substance use among youth by addressing risk factors and promoting protective factors. Performance of work occurs in New York.

This project will target school aged youth (grades 6-12) in the town of irondequoit NY (14609, 14617, 14621, 14622). - D-FI drug-free irondequoit together INC. DBA, UPLIFT irondequoit's (UPLIFT) mission is to establish and strengthen collaboration among many community partners in order to support programs and activities related to prevention, education and reduction of youth substance use. The project entitled, "reducing youth nicotine and cannabis use in irondequoit NY" will target school-age youth (grades 6-12) in the town of irondequoit, NY (14609, 14617, 14621, 14622). The alarming rates of nicotine and cannabis use among youth in our community demonstrates the need to address this issue. Data from the 2023 youth risk behavior survey (YRBS) and 2023 substance use survey (SUS) reveals that 3.1% of middle school students and 8.1% of high school students reported past 30-day use of nicotine. In addition, 2.1% of middle school students and 12.1% of high school students reported past 30-day use of cannabis. To effectively address youth substance use in our community, UPLIFT will engage in an ongoing process to strengthen collaboration among community stakeholders and change the perceptions associated with these substances by addressing risk factors and local conditions associated with substance use. Over the next five years, UPLIFT will collaborate with community partners from all 12 sectors to implement the strategies and activities in our work plan (12-month action plan). Through these strategies, UPLIFT will increase the capacity of our coalition by increasing the number of members, the number of youth-led initiatives, and the amount of volunteer hours provided by members. Upon the completion of our project, UPLIFT will have increased collaboration through a consortium of local governments, school districts, and other community agencies to financially sustain the prevention efforts of UPLIFT. In addition to achieving coalition sustainability, the strategies and activities as outlined in our work plan (12-month action plan) will allow UPLIFT to address the factors in our community that increase the risk of substance use and promote the factors that minimize the risk of substance use. UPLIFT will implement activities that increase the perceived harm of nicotine and cannabis use among youth in our community by raising awareness and increasing education surrounding the dangers of substance use. Subsequently, we will increase the perception of peer disapproval of nicotine and cannabis use by addressing the attitudes and social norms surrounding these substances. Additionally, UPLIFT will work with law enforcement to address illegal cannabis sales in our community by reducing the number of tobacco retailers that sell illicit cannabis products. These short-term and intermediate outcomes will facilitate UPLIFT achieving our long-term goal of reducing nicotine and cannabis use among youth in our community. UPLIFT will foster a collaborative, data-driven approach to address the issue of youth substance use in our community. This will allow US to develop sustainable prevention initiatives that not only reduce the use of youth nicotine and cannabis use, but also promote a healthier and safer community for all. These efforts will lay the foundation for sustained impact well beyond the duration of our project.