Party Drug Prevention for Youth

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Teens are using Ecstasy (MDMA) and other "party drugs" such as Ketamine, Rohypnol, and GHB at younger ages and in contexts that extend beyond the rave or dance party venues. Polydrug use is the norm and consequences include damage to brain cells, physiological effects such as elevated blood pressure, mental health problems including paranoia and depression, and social health consequences such as sexual exploitation. Most young people are unaware of the risks associated with using these drugs. Prevention efforts to date include educational campaigns and harm reduction programs which are limited in scope and difficult to evaluate. This Phase I STTR project will develop and assess the feasibility and short term effectiveness of a prevention curriculum that will be socially valid and will have the potential to target and change mediating variables related to party drug use. The curriculum will follow the format of an existing high school drug prevention program, All Stars, Sr. and will be packaged as a component of that program and as a stand-alone curriculum. Student and teacher materials will be developed during Phase I. Additional activities and an educational video will be produced during Phase II and a large-scale randomized field trial will be conducted.