Brattleboro, VT Intervention Campaign Against Underage Drinking

In late 2007, the Brattleboro Area Prevention Coalition received funding from a grant aimed at reducing underage drinking. Over 5 years, the grant allowed the coalition to build organizations and to create prevention plans and action strategies. The exciting part is that it seems like the programs are working to decrease the rate of binge drinking. The Coalition also took aim at marijuana usage because surveys showed that 47% of high school students had smoked marijuana. The media campaign "the blunt truth about marijuana" was launched, and so far both approaches appear to be working. In 2011, the rates of underage binge drinking and marijuana usage decreased more in communities that had funding from the grant than those who did not. As a future physician, this is important to understand and realize that funding for specific grants are an integral part of intervention programs. I think that it is important to support these programs as much as possible in order to benefit the entire community, and most of all, our young students.