Youth Substance Use Prevention and Awareness Act
The Youth Substance Use Prevention and Awareness Act would broaden a federal grants program to fund the development and expansion of research-based public service announcements (PSAs) aimed at preventing substance use among youth. The bill adds a new category of grants under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 that can cover a wide range of PSA formats—including television, radio, print, outdoor, digital, and youth-submission contests. It also requires the Attorney General to publish an annual report detailing each grant, the research basis for the campaign, any region-specific messaging, how the PSA fits with broader prevention efforts, and an evaluation of the campaign’s effectiveness in reducing youth drug use. The overall purpose is to improve and coordinate prevention messaging targeted at youth using evidence-based approaches.
Key Points
- 1Expands the grant program to include research-based public service announcement campaigns focused on youth substance use prevention, with a broad range of media and youth-driven contest options.
- 2Requires that materials be age-appropriate and grounded in research to inform the campaigns.
- 3Allows for PSAs across multiple channels: television, radio, print, outdoor, and digital media, plus contests that invite youth to submit PSAs.
- 4Mandates an annual reporting by the Attorney General detailing grants, underlying research, regional messaging, alignment with other prevention efforts, and evaluations of effectiveness (e.g., impact on youth drug use rates).
- 5Ties the new PSA grants to broader substance use prevention strategies and initiatives employed by the grantees.