Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a serious national crisis and often originates with substance use in adolescence. Schools are a key part of prevention because they can provide a universally available avenue for preventing or delaying illicit drug use among adolescents, including misuse of prescription opioids or use of illicit opioids. This fact sheet describes evidence-based programs aimed at preventing OUD that schools could consider.
This fact sheet was developed as part of a project with our policy partners at the Addiction Policy Forum to provide evidence-based strategies to guide local efforts aimed at preventing and treating adolescent OUD in selected Ohio communities. We hope this information will also help communities across the United States decide how to prevent and treat adolescent OUD.