Youth substance use and vaping is a prevalent and growing challenge in our schools, and in the lives of students. We understand the importance of addressing this issue early on through prevention and equipping educators with the tools needed to support students who may be struggling with substance abuse. This page will provide resources on prevention strategies, school-wide campaign materials, evidence-based curriculum and information about legislation to be enacted in Kentucky schools.
We want to support you in your work to create safe and supportive environments for young people to make healthy choices and avoid the dangers of substance abuse.
Addressing Substance Use Critical for Schools
There has been a substantial increase in use of substances in Kentucky schools, including among Elementary school students. As reported in KDE's 2022-2023 Safe Schools Annual Statistical Report, school and district administrators recorded 28,370 behavior events involving drugs, alcohol, or tobacco. When examining the individual substances used by students in Kentucky public schools, tobacco/nicotine makes up the largest portion of behavior events (67.6%). This is followed by marijuana use (26.6%), other drug use (3.0%) and alcohol use (1.9%). When viewed over time, the number of students using alcohol has steadily decreased over the past five years, while more rapid growth has been seen for tobacco/nicotine and marijuana use.
According to the most recent Kentucky Incentives for Prevention (KIP) Survey, students who experience serious psychological distress were 2.5 times more likely to vape, 2.5 times more likely to use cannabis, and 3 times more likely to use cigarettes (Source: 2021 KIP survey).
The infographic, Addressing Substance Use and Vaping in Kentucky Schools, offers key data highlights and resource links for schools.
Youth Substance Use Disorder
Substance use disorder is a mental health condition in which kids or teenagers use drugs or alcohol in unhealthy ways. This can include addiction, using substances in ways that interfere with normal life, and doing dangerous things because of the substance. Reference the Quick Guide to Substance Use Disorder developed by the Child Mind Institute.
To effectively prevent substance use, it is critical to understand the nature of the problem, including age of onset. While people generally start using and misusing substances during adolescence, misuse can begin at any age and can continue to be a problem across the lifespan. Therefore, preventing or reducing early substance use, misuse, and the harms related to substance use requires the implementation of effective programs, policies, and interventions that address substance use and misuse. Although encouraging the avoidance or delay of any type of substance use is likely beneficial, especially at young ages, prevention efforts also need to be drug specific.
The Prevention and Promotion Branch of the Division of Substance Use Disorder (DSUD) provides training and technical assistance on evidence-based substance use/misuse prevention to the 14 Regional Prevention Centers (RPCs) across the state as well as other state and community partners. Reference the Substance Use Prevention and Promotion Branch website.
Responding to Nicotine and Vaping in Schools (House Bill 142)
KDE has released guidance for several bills including, House Bill 142, which requires each local board of education to amend its written policies that prohibit the use of tobacco, alternative nicotine products and vapor products to include the distribution of evidence-based, age-appropriate prevention and cessation materials to all students at the beginning of each school year and access to evidence-based, age-appropriate nicotine prevention and cessation material throughout the school year for all students in the district. Upon the first behavior incident related to tobacco, alternative nicotine, or vapor products, the student must be referred to the school counselor or other school-based mental health services provider to review the adopted prevention and cessation materials. KDE encourages districts to review the best practices for curbing student substance use, focus on behavioral responses that support evidence-based treatment options, and ensure discipline policies are trauma-informed per KRS 158.4416.
Evidence-based Prevention and Cessation Materials
KDE's Evidence-based Prevention and Cessation Materials website provides information on the recommendations and resources available to schools and districts to satisfy the requirements of House Bill 142. Also, please view the recently released School and Community Based Resource Guide for Youth Prevention, Intervention and Cessation (Nicotine/Tobacco & Cannabis Products) as it includes a wealth of easily accessible resources for prevention and training support.
Drug Abuse Prevention Education
During the 2018 Legislative Session, the Kentucky General Assembly passed House Bill 3, which included a mandate that the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy develop recommendations for the instruction of drug abuse prevention. The recommendations are published in the 2018 Drug Use Prevention Curriculum Resource Guide on KDE's website for use by schools in developing their practical living skills curriculum.
District Resources
In 2022, Kentucky’s attorney general announced that the state will receive at least $14 million from electronic cigarette manufacturer JUUL Labs because of the company’s unlawful marketing and sales practices towards youth. For all districts allocating resources to address youth vaping, including the funds from the JUUL settlement or other funds, information is provided below on effective ways to use your resources:
Request for Assistance and/or Training
Schools and districts seeking assistance from the Division of Student Success can complete the Request for Assistance and/or Training form. A program consultant will respond in a timely fashion when the request has been submitted.