Monmouth, Middlesex Get Federal Grants For Substance Abuse Prevention

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06)  announced $250,000 in federal grants for youth substance abuse prevention efforts that will benefit his constituents in Monmouth and Middlesex Counties.

The Middlesex County Substance Abuse Coalition and The Prevention Coalition of Monmouth County will each be awarded $125,000 for youth drug and alcohol prevention and education programs. The DFC Support Program provides grants of up to $625,000 over 5 years to community coalitions that facilitate citizen participation in local drug prevention efforts.

The program awarded grants totaling more than $80 million to nearly 700 community coalitions across the country.

“Our local organizations are in the best position to tackle the devastating problem of substance abuse among our youth,” said Pallone. “These important federal grants leverage the abilities of our local leaders to educate our youth about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse so we may prevent it in the first place, and keep our communities safe and our young people healthy. We also know that stopping drug use before it ever begins is always the most cost-effective way to reduce drug use and its consequences.”

The DFC Program was created by the Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997 and reauthorized by Congress in 2001 and 2006. Since 1998, ONDCP has awarded more than 2,000 Drug-Free Communities grants to local communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, Palau, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia.