Colorado § 25.5-1-206 - School-based substance abuse prevention and intervention program - creation - reporting - legislative declaration - definitions.

§ 25.5-1-206. School-based substance abuse prevention and intervention program - creation - reporting - legislative declaration - definitions.

(1) (a) The general assembly finds and declares that:

(I) The 2011 healthy kids Colorado survey indicates that the top three substances that high school students report they use are alcohol, marijuana, and prescription drugs;

(II) With the legalization of marijuana by citizen initiative in Colorado, there is an increased availability of marijuana in the community and, at the same time, a decreased perception of harm related to marijuana use;

(III) Evidence-based prevention and intervention programs and education awareness programs targeted to school children who are twelve to nineteen years of age are needed to:

(A) Increase the perceived risk of harm associated with marijuana and alcohol use and prescription drug misuse;

(B) Decrease the rates of youth marijuana and alcohol use and prescription drug misuse and delay the age of first-time use; and

(C) Decrease the number of drug- and alcohol-related violations, suspensions, and expulsions reported by schools.

(b) Therefore, the general assembly declares that it is appropriate to award grants to schools, community-based organizations, and health organizations to provide school-based prevention and intervention programs that use evidence-based strategies, practices, and approaches to reduce the risk of marijuana and alcohol use and prescription drug misuse by school-aged children. Successful school-based programs will lead to increased overall health, behavioral health, and educational outcomes for Colorado's youth.

(2) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) "Entity" means a school, school district, board of cooperative services, a nonprofit or not-for-profit community-based organization, or a community-based behavioral health organization.

(b) "Grant program" means the school-based substance abuse prevention and intervention grant program created in subsection (3) of this section.

(3) (a) The school-based substance abuse prevention and intervention grant program is created within the state department. The purpose of the grant program is to award competitive grants to entities to provide school-based prevention and intervention programs for youth twelve to nineteen years of age primarily focused on reducing marijuana use, but including strategies and efforts to reduce alcohol use and prescription drug misuse.

(b) To be considered for a competitive grant, the entity must demonstrate in the grant proposal that:

(I) The grant will be used to implement evidence-based programs and strategies delivered in the school setting that are designed to improve overall health, behavioral health, and educational outcomes for youth who are twelve to nineteen years of age;

(II) The entity is delivering the program and strategies to at-risk youth, regardless of the youths' eligibility for Colorado's medical assistance program; and

(III) The evidence-based programs and strategies are designed to achieve the following outcomes:

(A) An increase in the perceived risk of harm associated with marijuana use, prescription drug misuse, and underage alcohol use among youth who are twelve to nineteen years of age;

(B) A decrease in the rates of youth marijuana use, alcohol use, and prescription drug misuse;

(C) A delay in the age of first use of marijuana, alcohol, or prescription drug misuse;

(D) A decrease in the rates of youth who have ever used marijuana or alcohol or misused prescription drugs in their lifetime; and

(E) A decrease in the number of drug- and alcohol-related violations on school property, suspensions, and expulsions reported by schools.

(4) On or before September 1, 2014, the state department shall establish procedures and timelines for grant applications, criteria for determining grant amounts and grantee reporting requirements, and any other grant program policies. The state department may amend these policies at any time.

(5) Subject to available appropriations, the state department shall award grants for the 2014-15 academic year and for each academic year thereafter. There is no limit on the number of grants that the state department may award, and the same entity may receive more than one grant if the state department considers the needs of at-risk students in communities throughout the state for school-based substance abuse prevention and intervention programs.

(6) Repealed.

Source: L. 2014: Entire section added, (SB 14-215), ch. 352, p. 1612, § 6, effective July 1. L. 2017: (6) amended, (HB 17-1060), ch. 6, p. 15, § 5, effective March 1.

Editor's note: Subsection (6)(b) provided for the repeal of subsection (6), effective November 2, 2017. (See L. 2017, p. 15.)