RWJF has supported projects that built support for prevention policies and helped government regulators enforce existing laws.

Highlights
State Prevention Policy. Most state-level drug and alcohol policy focus on crime and the apprehension of criminals. The Embedding Prevention in State Policy and Practice Initiative assisted six states in reorienting their policy framework away from criminal justice toward prevention. (See Program Results on ID# 043858.)

Accomplishments in the six states included:

• The Arizona Prevention Resource Center developed resources for community-based prevention providers, including a Web site.
• The State of Connecticut created a prevention council.
• The Oregon state legislature passed legislation calling for state agencies and local communities to work together to provide comprehensive, coordinated services to children and families.

Support for Local Advocacy. From 1991 to 2000, Join Together, a project of the Boston University School of Public Health, assisted community-based groups in their efforts to reduce, prevent and improve treatment of substance abuse. Join Together provided technical assistance, convened conferences, conducted survey research and provided advocacy leadership training. Since 2000, Join Together's focus has shifted from prevention to treatment. (See Program Results on ID# 027954. See also Program Results on ID# 040938 for a similar technical assistance effort that supported local advocacy groups working to prevent underage drinking.)

Other Relevant Program Results
Other substance abuse public policy prevention projects:

• A policy demonstration project in Oregon. (See Program Results on ID# 044660.)
• Prevention policy research. (See Program Results on ID# 045762 and the ImpacTeen Web site.)
• A national organization connecting local providers with national developments. (See SAAS's Web site.)

Lessons Learned

• Public policies help reduce substance abuse. Effective policies include reducing alcohol billboards and other advertisements, requiring beer kegs to be registered, and making changes to zoning laws to reduce the concentration of bars and restaurants in certain neighborhoods. (See Program Results on ID# 032190 and ID# 031603.)
• Get buy-in from local law enforcement. Law enforcement buy-in is crucial to overall credibility with the public. If police are not seen enforcing drug and alcohol laws, then the law is not taken seriously. (See Program Results on ID# 032694.)
• Coordinate policy and media advocacy. A consistent media and awareness campaign is essential to reinforce policies. (See Program Results on ID# 032694.)
• Grassroots advocacy groups need help. Provide grassroots groups with a broad range of assistance and support to help them be successful educators on the local level. Groups need advocacy tools including, but not limited to polling, economic analysis, statistics and legal support. (See Program Results on ID# 040938.)
• Tailor advocacy assistance to local needs. When providing assistance to local organizations, be flexible with your programming to accommodate community needs and logistical capabilities. One national technical assistance provider found that its formal training sessions were too rigid for some grassroots community organizations. (See Program Results on ID# 040938.)