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Strengthens family communication and relationships
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Encourages all community members to make safer and
healthier decisions about their own drinking
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Increases feelings of safety
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Builds community and neighborhood pride
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Makes dating safer
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Lowers hospital visitations and expenses
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Encourages healthy community norms, behaviors,
and expectations
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Influences decision-makers to consider health impacts of policies and funding focuses
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Improves educational outcomes (attendance, grades, retention, college preparedness, etc.)
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Increases achievement of typical developmental milestones
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Encourages healthy discussion and debate about mood-altering chemicals
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Increases the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of individuals, families, and the community
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Increases the financial well-being of individuals, families, and the community
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Makes driving, walking, and cycling safer for everyone.
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Why is Missoula concerned about underage substance use?
Underage substance use puts the well-being of individuals, families, and the community at risk.
Injury, crime, sexual assault, school drop-out, family and interpersonal conflict, and future alcohol and other drug dependence are just some of the problems that are associated with underage use.
Underage substance use can also be deadly. In fact, underage drinking is the leading factor in the four leading causes of adolescent death: car crashes, homicide, suicide, and unintentional injuries.
We're concerned about Missoula's kids and families.
Missoula suffers from some of the highest rates of underage substance use in the nation.
While Montana youth report the 2nd highest rates of illicit drug use, and the 4th highest rates of underage drinking, in the United States, Missoula youth are reporting the highest and second-highest rates of use in the state. This is true of all drugs, from alcohol, to marijuana, to methamphetamine.
Furthermore, the majority of local youth who report using alcohol sometime in the past month, also report
binge drinking-- drinking 5 or more drinks in one sitting-- at least once within the past 2 weeks (Montana Prevention Needs Assessment). And it's not just older teens:
12% of local 8th graders report binge drinking in the past two weeks.
As a community, Missoula is rallying to
Make the Connection for our youth, to reduce underage alcohol and other drug use, and to prevent the litany of harms and risks associated with youth substance use.
MUSAP brings everyone to the same table, recognizing that we all have a stake in preventing underage alcohol and other drug use. Schools, law enforcement, youth development, treatment, University, prevention, health care, and retailer representatives work together to implement and coordinate evidence-based community prevention strategies.
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