Travis County Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition

A new study finds that involvement in a spiritual or religious community, service attendance, meditation, and prayer can reduce an individuals’ risk of dangerous alcohol and drug use by 13%. This reduction was even greater (18%) for individuals attending religious services at least once per week. The results were consistent … Continue to full story .......

Austin-area residents are being warned about cychlorphine, a newly identified synthetic opioid that early lab data suggest is several times stronger than fentanyl and tied to dozens of deaths across the country. The drug can be pressed into fake pills or mixed into street powders without a user’s knowledge, turning … Continue to full story .......

Mental health conversations took center stage Tuesday at Travis County Commissioners Court, as leaders launched an initiative on children’s mental health. The plan, called “Connecting the Dots for Children’s Mental Health,” is a five-year strategy designed to strengthen families, expand services and make it easier for children and … Continue to full story .......

The rates of substance use among US high school students have been declining over the last decade, with decreasing overall trends observed in use of alcohol, marijuana, illicit drugs, and prescription opioids.  Despite these improvements, the latest data (2023) indicate that 22% of high school students currently consume alcohol and … Continue to full story .......

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Friday instructed state senators to study a broad range of policy issues ahead of next year’s legislative session, including THC and more.  Patrick indicated a continued focus on banning hemp-based THC products, charging the Health and Human Services Committee with studying “the impact of THC … Continue to full story .......

Williamson County commissioners have voted to expand the alcohol sales buffer zone around churches, schools and hospitals.  In Texas, the typical buffer zone is 300 feet past the property line, but state law allows it to be expanded to 1000 feet, or about the length of three football fields.  The … Continue to full story .......