Pubdate: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 Source: Daily Independent, The (KY) Copyright: 2002 The Daily Independent, Inc Contact: http://www.dailyindependent.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1573 Words Of Praise YOUTH ALCOHOL INITIATIVE HAVING IMPACT That the Youth Alcohol Initiative has secured a $100,000 federal grant to continue past its original funding period is a tribute to the success of the program operated through the Boyd-Greenup County Champions for the Drug-Free Kentucky. The program has proved effective in reducing drug, alcohol and tobacco use among middle school students in the two counties. The grant will enable it to "continue and expand" for up to another five years. The local program is one of 157 nationwide to be awarded funding through the federal Drug-Free Communities Support program. It currently is in the fourth and final year of funding through the Kentucky Incentives for Prevention project. That grant is no longer renewable. The program, which operates in the Ashland, Fairview, Boyd County, Raceland-Worthington and Greenup County school districts, targets students in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades. It provides a curriculum that gives students extensive information about drugs, tobacco and alcohol use and is aimed at prevention. Through extensive surveys of all students, the program has determined that past 30-day smoking by eighth-graders in the two counties has decreased by 8 percent in the past three years, while past 30-day alcohol use has declined by 9 percent and marijuana use has dropped by 1 percent. The program also found improved compliance by both restaurants and liquor retailers in checking the identification of young-looking customers attempting to purchase alcohol. The program has not eliminated drug, alcohol and tobacco use among young teens in the two counties, but is helping to reduce their use. It is hoped the levels of use will continue to decline as the program continues and expands. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth