Office of National Drug Control Policy Substance Abuse Primary Prevention Month
The Office of National Drug Control Policy leads and coordinates the nation’s drug policy so that it improves the health and lives of the American people.
ONDCP coordinates across 19 federal agencies and oversees a $44 billion budget as part of a whole-of-government approach to addressing addiction and the overdose epidemic. ONDCP also provides hundreds of millions of dollars to help communities stay safe and healthy through the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program and the Drug-Free Communities Program.
ONDCP is responsible for the development and implementation of the National Drug Control Strategy and Budget.
August 2026 is Substance Abuse Primary Prevention Month. To celebrate, youth leaders from the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program came together to use their voice and prevention expertise to encourage youth across the country to make healthy choices.
ONDCP's DFC Youth Prevention Champions (YPC) are sharing prevention messages and highlighting ways that young people can lead primary prevention efforts and be champions for change.
Join us during Substance Abuse Primary Prevention Month and amplify Prevention Messaging using #TruthFromYouth:
- DRUG-FREE IS THE SOCIAL NORM: 83% of Americans are living drug-free.
- PRIMARY PREVENTION WORKS: Prevention education grounded in science results in decreased substance use.
- LIFELONG PREVENTION BUILDS LIFELONG HEALTH: Comprehensive prevention approaches that combine accurate education, supportive adult relationships, and engagement in positive activities not only prevent early substance use, but also enhance overall brain health, emotional regulation, and lifelong decision-making skills.
- YOUTH AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS CRITICAL: decreased violence, decreased suicidal behavior, and better academic achievement among youth.
- BRAIN DEVELOPMENT CONTINUES THROUGH AGES 25-27: Brain maturation occurs well into the mid-twenties, when the brain completes critical developmental processes. Exposure to addictive substances during this formative period can interfere with these processes.
Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program
The Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program, created by the Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997, is the Nation’s leading effort to mobilize communities to prevent youth substance use. Directed by ONDCP in partnership with CDC, the DFC program provides grants to over 500 community coalitions to strengthen the infrastructure among local partners to create and sustain a reduction in local youth substance use.
DFC coalitions bring together representatives from 12 community sectors to build strong local partnerships focused on preventing youth substance use. By engaging youth, parents, schools, business, media, law enforcement, faith-based/fraternal organizations, healthcare professionals, civic/volunteer groups, state, local and/or tribal governments, youth-serving organizations, and other key stakeholders, coalitions create data-driven action plans tailored to local needs. The majority of DFC-funded coalitions focus on preventing youth use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, prescription drug, opioids, including fentanyl and fentanyl analogs, methamphetamine, and xylazine use.
To find a DFC-funded coalition near you, please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/php/drug-free-communities/coalitions.html
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