Substance Use

Our country consumes more prescription opioids than any other nation in the world, and every day in 2017, an estimated 1,300 young adults misused an opioid prescription for the first time. Young Americans are especially vulnerable to misunderstanding the risks associated with opioid misuse and addiction, and the dangerous spiral down from prescription to illicit use.

Given the toll of the national opioid crisis and its adjacency to our existing work, we are uniquely positioned to educate youth and young adults about the risks of opioid addiction and misuse. We believe we can make an impact on the opioid epidemic by focusing on education and prevention — the model that has proven successful for truth. Research shows that exposure to the highly addictive chemical nicotine, found in commercial tobacco products, can make adolescent brains more susceptible to other addictive substances.

Explore our research and resources on opioids and substance use.