CINCINNATI, O.H. – Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) announced that the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has awarded $875,000 grant funding for Drug-Free Community (DFC) Programs throughout Ohio.
In 1997, Portman authored the Drug-Free Communities Act, which supports evidence-based, community-oriented drug prevention programs. The Drug-Free Communities Act is designed to be optimally effective and accountable by capping the amount spent on administrative and overhead expenses, requiring all coalitions that receive grants to have experience in drug abuse prevention, and matching federal funding with local funds.
No other drug prevention program has achieved the same reduction in youth drug use that has been achieved consistently by the DFC program. Earlier this year, Portman introduced the Drug-Free Communities Pandemic Relief Act to provide flexibility to DFC coalitions during this pandemic by temporarily granting ONDCP the authority to waive the program’s local matching requirements if the grantee is unable to meet them due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Drug-Free Communities program is a proven, evidence-based, and community-oriented program that reduces substance abuse among our nation’s youth. I authored this legislation more than 20 years ago during my time in the House of Representatives, and it remains today the most effective program for consistently reducing youth drug use. The COVID-19 pandemic had made our efforts to combat addiction much more difficult and this additional federal funding for Ohio will make a big difference,” said Portman. “I have seen firsthand that prevention is a powerful tool to counteract drug use in our community, and this funding will help these coalitions across the state, along with other coordinated local efforts with local partners, to save lives. This pandemic is making their efforts to help those struggling with addiction more difficult, and I’m committed to doing everything I can to help ensure they have the resources and support they need to serve those in need during these unprecedented times.”
The following programs each received $125,000 in grant funding:
Crawford Marion Board Of Alcohol Drug Addiction & Mental Health; Family Recovery Center, Inc., Lisbon, OH; Mckinley Hall, Springfield, OH; Swanton Area Community Coalition; Alcoholism Council Of Butler County, OH, Inc; Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services; Knox Public Health.
