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Passaic City Coalition briefs council on youth substance-use prevention efforts
Summary
At the Dec. 6 meeting, Passaic City Coalition program coordinator Vanessa Pasa described the group's prevention programs, partnerships with city departments and schools, training of staff and parents, and enforcement-related results tied to underage sales inspections.
Vanessa Pasa, program coordinator for the Passaic City Coalition, used the council’s public-comment period on Dec. 6 to summarize the coalition’s substance-use prevention work aimed at youth in Passaic.
Pasa told the council the coalition has worked with the mayor’s office since 2019 to establish a youth council and to run prevention and education programs. She said youth-council members have logged more than 1,000 volunteer hours on community service and events, and the coalition has trained more than 50 employees at local bars and restaurants in responsible alcohol service.
Pasa described partnerships with the Board of Education and non-profit groups to bring bilingual vaping-prevention curricula into schools, to train parents and school staff on cannabis and vaping risks, and to coordinate suicide-prevention education. She said the coalition has trained more than 200 parents on cannabis and vaping education and worked with local programs to provide resources to youth.
Citing enforcement activity, Pasa said Passaic’s FDA underage-sales inspection violation rate rose after the pandemic and fell following increased enforcement: she reported a rise to 55% in 2022 from under 15% historically, then a drop to 28% after enforcement actions began in 2023. Pasa provided council members a packet summarizing local data and recommended strategies used successfully in other communities.
Ending: Pasa offered to meet with council members and staff for further discussion; council members thanked her for the briefing. No formal council action was taken during the public-comment period.
