New Hampshire shouldn't retreat from substance misuse prevention programs
"We have all heard about the budget cuts that have been suggested to save money but we must ask at what cost?" (Getty Images)
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This legislative session has raised some concerns that not enough people understand that the best way to save money is to prevent the problem from ever even happening. We must emphasize this important life lesson to save existing prevention efforts and continue supporting our youth.
We have all heard about the budget cuts that have been suggested to save money but we must ask: At what cost? Primary health prevention shows, on the very low end, that every dollar invested in prevention saves on average $6 in health care costs. When we expand that to substance misuse prevention efforts the estimated cost savings climbs to as high as $12 to $18 for every dollar spent on providing information and awareness on the dangers of drugs and alcohol to children and teens.
New Hampshire prevention community coalitions and public health networks have been strategically working to lower the rates of substance misuse among our youth. It has taken time to build a strong network with qualified individuals who understand the process and how to effectively make change. The very foundation of this work and the infrastructure that helps keep it moving forward is in danger in many ways in our state at the moment.
First, let's talk about House Bill 446, to make the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) that is administered to youth every two years and collects vitality important information, an opt-in survey. This means parents or guardians would have to sign a permission form for their child to participate in this survey. Currently there is a 10 day period prior to the survey that adults are made aware of the survey so they can review it and choose to opt their child out if they are uncomfortable with it. To be clear, the information collected in the survey is completely anonymous and on topics our youth are well versed in, curious about, and talking about, but are subjects their adults might find uncomfortable to talk about, like drug use, mental health, and sex.
The data collected in these surveys allows community coalitions who come together to support the youth growing up in their towns and cities to design messaging and programming to help support our youth making healthy choices and provide them with knowledge of where to go for help and support.
The needs identified also allow us to reach out to our partners across the state and share information and resources on how to best address these needs. This leads us to our next concern: the budget.
The New Hampshire Liquor Commission-Division of Enforcement (NHLE) is on the list of cuts in the current proposed budget. NHLE does so much behind the scene work to help with prevention but on a community-facing level they are the people we can call if we have a report of an establishment selling alcohol or tobacco to an underage buyer. They help us raise awareness that the legal age to purchase alcohol and tobacco is 21, and they are the ones who enforce these laws if they are broken.
The Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program is also on the line to be cut. This department provides updated information and awareness resources for local community youth groups, schools, and organizations to share and raise awareness about the current threats around nicotine products, and their harmful effects on teens and adults alike. They also provide access to ways to quit for those who may be ready to take that next step toward a healthier lifestyle, such as 1-800-quit-now and My Life My Quit for teens.
The loss of even one of these tools (the YRBS, NHLE, or Tobacco Control) could drastically change the landscape of prevention work in New Hampshire. All three are vital tools in our New Hampshire prevention tool box to help keep our kids and communities safe from the unknown harms that can come with exploring substance misuse at a young age.
If you care about our young people, or you care about a budget that invests it money wisely to make a difference and save you money in the future, please speak up so the people who are invested in keeping kids, communities, and roads safe in New Hampshire can continue to do the great work they do — saving lives and limiting lifelong addiction.
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