The Responding to Addiction Participant Manual—the official companion to our instructor-led Responding to Addiction training—is now available for purchase on Amazon. This accessible guide reinforces and expands on training content with science-backed information about substance use disorders, including: How addiction impacts the brain Recognizing signs and symptoms Evidence-based treatment approaches, including medication for addiction treatment Practical guidance on how to

On October 9, 2025, the Senate passed the Second Chance Reauthorization Act of 2025 ( S. 1843 ) as an amendment, sponsored by Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), to the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) . The Second Chance Reauthorization Act of 2025 would continue critical recidivism-reduction and reentry services nationwide, including substance use disorder treatment. The NDAA passed the Senate by a bipartisan vote of 77-20. The bill now moves to the House for

The HEALing Communities Study (HCS) has developed a series of ready-to-use communication campaigns designed to increase awareness about substance use disorders and effective response strategies to help strengthen local prevention, treatment, recovery, and overdose prevention efforts. These free toolkits make it easy for you to share critical information in your community through social media, radio, print materials, and more. Whether you’re part of a community coalition, loca

The Addiction Policy Forum, in partnership with the University of Delaware, has released results from a pilot study testing the effectiveness of a training curriculum for youth. Protect Your Brain is a curriculum developed by the Addiction Policy Forum to strengthen prevention knowledge and equip young people with tools to reduce the risk of developing a substance use disorder. The program also emphasizes the neuroscience of brain health, healthy coping skills, and the uniqu

Addiction Policy Forum led the national endorsement letter with over 100 national, state, and local organizations in support of reauthorizing the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Justice Grant Reauthorization Act of 2025 (S.2540)  to extend the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Grant Program (COSSUP). COSSUP provides financial and technical assistance to state and local governments to  implement tailored evidence-based substance use disorder (SUD) prevent

Findings suggest that higher levels of stigma are associated with decreased support for naloxone availability Bethesda, MD (July 29, 2025) — The Addiction Policy Forum released a new report today that examines how addiction-related stigma is associated with attitudes toward naloxone access and policy endorsement. For the study, Addiction Policy Forum and researchers from the University of Delaware designed and administered a survey to 57 partner organizations, ranging from pu

President Donald Trump today signed the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of (HALT) Fentanyl Act into law in July 2025, permanently classifying illicit, fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I.

Addiction Policy Forum joined over 595 national, state, and local organizations in support of continued funding of the Second Chance Act in the Fiscal Year 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.  The Second Chance Act provides communities with resources to reduce recidivism and provide critical reentry resources like housing, employment, behavioral health treatment, and other essential services.  Over 1,350 grants have been administered to

Summit Recovery Hub piloted a community survey in partnership with the Addiction Policy Forum to better understand substance use disorder (SUD) stigma, including attitudes, misconceptions, and policy support related to SUD services. Stigma remains one of the greatest barriers preventing individuals with SUD from seeking treatment and achieving long-term recovery. A total of 255 individuals responded to the survey administered by Summit Recovery Hub between November 10, 2023,

SalusCare piloted a community survey in partnership with the Addiction Policy Forum to better understand substance use disorder (SUD) stigma, including attitudes, misconceptions, and policy support related to SUD services. Stigma remains one of the greatest barriers preventing individuals with SUD from seeking treatment and achieving long-term recovery. A total of 269 individuals responded to the survey administered by SalusCare between December 8, 2023, and June 6, 2024. The

Tuscarawas County Health Department piloted a community survey in partnership with the Addiction Policy Forum to better understand substance use disorder (SUD) stigma, including attitudes, misconceptions, and policy support related to SUD services. Stigma remains one of the greatest barriers preventing individuals with SUD from seeking treatment and achieving long-term recovery. A total of 361 individuals responded to the survey administered by Tuscarawas County Health Depart

Dartmouth Health piloted a community survey in partnership with the Addiction Policy Forum to better understand substance use disorder (SUD) stigma, including attitudes, misconceptions, and policy support related to SUD services. Stigma remains one of the greatest barriers preventing individuals with SUD from seeking treatment and achieving long-term recovery. A total of 474 individuals responded to the survey administered by Dartmouth Health between November 10, 2023, and Ja

Trumbull County Mental Health & Recovery Board piloted a community survey in partnership with the Addiction Policy Forum to better understand substance use disorder (SUD) stigma, including attitudes, misconceptions, and policy support related to SUD services. Stigma remains one of the greatest barriers preventing individuals with SUD from seeking treatment and achieving long-term recovery. A total of 420 individuals responded to the survey administered by Trumbull County Ment

Voices of Hope, Lexington, piloted a community survey in partnership with the Addiction Policy Forum to better understand substance use disorder (SUD) stigma, including attitudes, misconceptions, and policy support related to SUD services. Stigma remains one of the greatest barriers preventing individuals with SUD from seeking treatment and achieving long-term recovery. A total of 219 individuals responded to the survey administered by Voices of Hope, Lexington, between Novem

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 5, 2025 A recent study  published in the Journal of Addictive Diseases highlights outcomes of the...

Last week, the Addiction Policy Forum joined the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP), the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), the National Council on Mental Wellbeing, and other national organizations in sending a letter to the administration to lift the current $75 max restriction on many federal grant programs on patient incentives for recovery behaviors or Contingency Management (CM) from opioid, stimulant, and alcohol use disorders. The letter state

November 7, 2024, Bethesda, Maryland  -- Today, the Addiction Policy Forum released a new video explainer on the science of addiction...

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 24, 2024 -- The Addiction Policy Forum (APF), in collaboration with Governor DeWine’s RecoveryOhio initiative, the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and the University of Delaware released a case study  detailing the outcomes of a community anti-stigma intervention delivered throughout Ohio. Addiction Policy Forum’s anti-stigma program, Responding to Addiction, was deployed in Ohio to increase addiction literacy, correct misconcep

BETHESDA, Md., Sept. 18, 2024 -- Today, the Addiction Policy Forum released new fentanyl awareness resources available in 12 languages to help increase knowledge of fentanyl-related overdose risks. The project is supported by the Cencora Impact Foundation and ECORN-MO to provide open-source, science-backed prevention materials for communities and families across the globe. Recent reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show overdose reaching devasta

Addiction Policy Forum announced the 117 nationwide Anti-Stigma Initiative Sites working to end the stigma of addiction in their communities