Kentucky Attorney General introduces drug prevention program for youth

The idea behind it is that drug prevention goes beyond simply saying “no.”

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky – Kentucky’s attorney general announced Tuesday that the Better Without It initiative will take a new approach to combat the opioid epidemic.

The idea behind it is that drug prevention goes beyond simply saying “no.”

They want to get to the heart of the matter to promote positive youth development, or what they call the “Five Cs”: competence, confidence, connection, character and compassion.

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The Opioid Abatement Commission unanimously approved $3.6 million for the youth drug prevention program.

Attorney General Russell Coleman said they would meet children where they are, including on social media and streaming platforms.

“We looked in depth at how they view drug use and we looked at social media content, forums, Reddit, we looked at YouTube videos to find out what they think about it in their own words,” he said.

“One big thing you're going to see across the country now is resilience. Because obviously substance abuse has its origins somewhere. Yes, it's experimentation, but there's a coping factor no matter what socioeconomic background the youth come from. So to instill that with resilience right from the start is a really big thing.”

They also found that the campaign reduced stress and introduced positive coping mechanisms.