Prevention

Prevention

Learn more about risk and protective factors, tips for preventing addiction, genetic factors and early screening.

Prevention, Risk Factors, and Screening

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The Importance of Drug Prevention

Risk and Protective Factors

The Role of Genetics

Genetics and Problem Drinking

Video: What is Prevention?

Why Age of First Use Matters

Video: Mind Your Genes

Video: Whirlpools of Risk

12 Things Parents Can Do

Prevention Resources in Other Languages

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Spanish Resources

Bosnian Resources

Prevention Topics

Get answers to basic questions about addiction, including genetic factors, its signs and symptoms, and how addiction is treated.

[Webinar] Evidence-Based Strategies to Prevent Addiction: Perspectives from the National Institute on Drug Abuse

May 19, 2026 | 1:00 PM EST There is ongoing research to develop effective, sustainable, and scalable strategies to prevent the initiation of substance use and its progression to substance use disorders, as well as prevent other related health consequences. Evidence-based prevention interventions - particularly those implemented at key developmental stages can have a profound and lasting impact. In addition to reducing substance use, prevention approaches can improve long-term

Upcoming

Protect Your Brain: Pilot Study Released

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

Research

Protect Your Brain e-Course

About Protect Your Brain Protect Your Brain is an engaging, science-based program designed for middle and high school students and the...

Prevention

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Ask the Expert

Cannabis Use Trends, Risks, and the Evolving Policy Landscape with Dr. Rosalie Pacula

Cannabis access has accelerated globally and across the United States, creating substantial variation in regulatory systems, product availability, potency limits, commercialization practices, and public health risks. In this Ask the Expert video, Dr. Rosalie Liccardo Pacula, Professor and Elizabeth Garrett Chair in Health Policy, Economics & Law in the Sol Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California, examines the evolving policy landscape of cannabi

May 12

Screening for Cannabis Use Disorder and Effective Tools to Educate Youth on the Risks with Dr. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher

As cannabis products have evolved, so too have the risks—especially for young people. Today’s cannabis products contain far higher levels of THC than in previous decades, with some products reaching up to 80-90% THC. This shift is raising concerns due to its association with increased risk of addiction, mental health challenges, and psychosis. In this Ask the Expert explainer, Dr. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Stanford REACH Lab at Stanfo

Apr 27

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