U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) welcomed news on Friday that the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) would provide $85.9 million in grants to prevent youth substance abuse.
The ONDCP will administer $85.9 million in grants to approximately 700 Drug-free Community (DFC) Support Programs to help prevent youth substance abuse through education and community-focused 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,” Ayotte said. “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.”
ONDCP will administer approximately $1.5 million in grants for 12 programs in Ayotte’s home state of New Hampshire.
Ayotte has been a supporter of DFC funding to help address the nation’s opioid abuse epidemic, and helped introduce the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), which was signed into law in July.
CARA enables non-profits that previously received DFC grants to become eligible for additional funding to implement comprehensive, community-wide strategies to address local drug problems.
Also under CARA, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is authorized to implement public education and prevention campaigns to further advance local efforts to raise awareness about heroin and fentanyl.