Fairfield youth coalition reports declines in student substance use, asks trustees to consider future funding

Joe Marcus, the executive director of the Fairfield Discussion Foundation, told the Fairfield Township Board of Trustees on March 11 that the Fairfield Prevention Coalition used a $10,000 township award for youth substance-use prevention programs and returned to the board to report results. "We were so gracious when we got the $10,000 to do prevention work," Marcus said, adding the coalition focuses on prevention rather than treatment.

The coalition's student leaders described activities and recent survey results. "We actually have 4 youth coalitions in and around our community," Julia Shuster, student coalition president, told trustees, saying the groups run red-ribbon-week events, safe prom and graduation campaigns, Project Sticker Shock and a "You Make a Difference" campaign. Shuster said self-reported use from 2019 to 2023 showed declines: prescription pain-medicine abuse decreased 38 percent, alcohol use decreased 51 percent, marijuana use decreased 16 percent and tobacco use decreased 86 percent.

Regina Rai, the senior representative, described a peer outreach program presented four times a year that uses skits and non-scare messaging, and said the coalition has reached an estimated 750 students over 10 years. Caris Melimasaro, the youth coalition secretary, described spring campaigns tied to prom and graduation and an initiative called "Sticker Shock" that places warning stickers on alcohol containers at participating sellers to discourage sales to minors.

Marcus and student leaders emphasized continuing threats posed by opioids and prescription pain medications. Marcus said the coalition follows evidence-based prevention work and said recent national conferences show expensive downstream costs for treatment and recovery, but that local prevention can reduce risk. He noted in the presentation that latest survey results showed about 2.1 percent of students reporting nonprescribed use of prescription pain medicine, which the coalition said is a key area for prevention.

Trustees thanked the coalition for the update and asked operational questions about school discipline and how campaigns fit into the school year. Marcus said he was not a school employee but cited the school director of people services as pursuing alternatives to suspension. The coalition said vaping and other reported youth substance use remain on a downward trend locally and regionally following COVID-era declines.

The coalition asked trustees to consider further funding in future budgets; the students said they will seek a city proclamation for safe-prom month and planned a community silhouette campaign to reinforce positive social norms. Trustees did not vote on funding at the March 11 meeting but invited the coalition to return with additional details if the board wants to consider future allocations.