The CPI Team is pleased to announce a new publication developed in response to requests from the field: “Focus Groups – Helpful Tools for Strategic Prevention Planning.” This document includes guidance, facilitation tips, sample questions, and further resources.

The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) SUD Statewide Conference will be held August 21-23, 2018, in Garden Grove, CA. The call for proposals is now open on an array of prevention, treatment, and recovery topics.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) will award approximately 240 DFC Support Program grants of up to $125,000 per year, up to five years.

The President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, established in March 2017, released its final report on November 1, 2017. The report outlines a series of recommendations to the federal government for opioid prevention, treatment, overdose reversal, recovery, and research and development.

Research presented this month at the American Public Health Association’s 2017 Annual Meeting and Expo examined the effect of marijuana use and dependence on life achievement in young adults. The study found that young adults dependent on marijuana and alcohol were less likely to achieve adult life goals, defined by the study as educational achievement, full-time employment, marriage, and social economic potential.

If you currently use the CPI Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Consequence Data Toolkit in your work, this 35-video tutorial series will help you deepen your understanding and skills. The tutorial series is designed to support county Prevention Coordinators and others who use the toolkit.

DHCS released several resources to facilitate the field’s transition from CalOMS to PPSDS (Primary Prevention SUD Data Service). These new supports include an Annual Progress Report Template, Frequently Asked Questions about PPSDS, and information about the PPSDS Onsite Trainings held throughout the month.

We are pleased to share the training materials from the 2017 CPI Regional Trainings, held in Long Beach and Sacramento this summer. Hundreds of SUD professionals and community agency representatives attend the no-cost Regional Trainings each year to focus on core prevention topics.

The CDPH launched Let’s Talk Cannabis to raise public awareness about cannabis laws and safe use with evidence-based, easy-to-understand information. It includes FAQs and factsheets specifically for pregnant and breastfeeding women, parents and mentors, and youth, as well as a Spanish-language section.