Travis County Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition

More than $4,000-worth of THC vape cartridges was allegedly at the center of Travis County’s first homicide of 2026, according to an arrest affidavit filed on Jan. 15 by a Travis County Sheriff’s Office detective. The fatal shooting happened on Jan. 7, shortly before midnight, at a gas station near … Continue to full story .......

Hays County District Attorney announced that 29-year-old Izaiah Vela was sentenced to 75 years in prison for sexual assault of a child, and evidence showed the defendant repeatedly sold fentanyl pills to high school students in Hays County, including to a 15-year-old high school sophomore who died in 2023.

On … Continue to full story .......

Opioid use disorder among young people is a serious but often overlooked issue in the United States. In a national 2023 survey, 1.3% of kids between the ages of 12 and 17 reported an opioid use disorder. While 1.3% might not sound like a lot, it represents around 342,000 … Continue to full story .......

New research indicates a significant shift in the fentanyl crisis, with a major disruption in the illegal fentanyl market possibly linked to actions by the Chinese government which may have contributed to a sharp decline in overdose deaths in the U.S. and Canada starting in mid-2023 and continuing into … Continue to full story .......

A Hays County man is facing a murder charge after a 17-year-old girl died from a fentanyl overdose, according to a Travis County affidavit.  The affidavit revealed the man to be 19-year-old Jaden Elijah Sendejo.  The Travis County Sheriff’s Office said the 17-year-old was found unresponsive, face down in her … Continue to full story .......

Is a generational shift underway in how Americans think about alcohol? A new Gallup poll from July 2025 finds that 53% of Americans now say that moderate drinking is bad for health. That’s up from 45% just last year. Among young adults, the change is even sharper: half of 18- … Continue to full story .......