Substance use in youth can lead to a variety of negative outcomes, including health issues, poor academic performance, and increased risk of addiction and overdose. Increased rates of mental health challenges among youth, as well as an increase in overdose deaths driven by illicit fentanyl (even as youth substance use remains at historically low levels) underscores the need for multi-faceted prevention strategies that reduce risk factors that lead to drug use, support early intervention and linkage to services, and provide information and access to overdose prevention resources such as naloxone.   

Explore these resources to learn how states can consider improving substance use prevention infrastructure and adopting evidence-based prevention strategies.