Ayotte Welcomes Funding for Youth Substance Use Prevention

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte issued the following statement welcoming the announcement from the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) that nearly 700 Drug-Free Community (DFC) Support Programs would receive $85.9 million in grants to support efforts to prevent youth substance use through education and community-based programs. New Hampshire will receive nearly $1.5 million in grants for 12 programs.

"I welcome today's announcement from the ONDCP, and I am glad that New Hampshire will receive funding to support local efforts to increase awareness about the dangers of substance use. Education and prevention are key components of fighting New Hampshire's drug crisis, and are a part of the comprehensive approach set forth in the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act. If we can teach our children early-on the dangers of substance use - including heroin and fentanyl - then we can make real change at the local level and continue working to save lives."

Ayotte has been a consistent supporter of DFC funding and has pushed for greater resources for community-based efforts to address New Hampshire's opioid abuse crisis. Ayotte helped introduce the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which was signed into law in July 2016 and allows organizations that have received DFC grants to be eligible to receive additional funding to implement comprehensive community-wide strategies to address local drug crises. CARA also calls on the Secretary of Health and Human Services to implement a public education and prevention campaign to further encourage community efforts to raise awareness on the dangers of heroin and fentanyl.

In addition, at the beginning of August, Ayotte went to Rochester to talk to police officers who were beginning training on a new anti-drug education program, Law Enforcement Against Drugs (LEAD). LEAD will be introduced to Rochester schools this year and focuses on preventive education.

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