The recent statewide needs assessment identified substance use prevention and recovery as the most urgent priority for Cooperative Extension.  Moreover, substance use was the focal point of the CES Advisory Council Meeting in early 2019.  Taken together, youth KIP survey data and data from the CES needs assessment demonstrate the need to address substance use prevention, recovery, stigma, and impact on families and communities.

Therefore, Trimble County Cooperative Extension Service implemented Truth & Consequences: The Choice is Yours, a scenario based role-play activity designed to help 97 Jr/Sr high school students learn more about the physical, legal, financial, and emotional consequences of substance abuse. This program was held in cooperation with the Trimble County School District and the Trimble CARES Drug Free Coalition.  Fifty nine community partners and adult volunteers participated in the event to make it a success. Student evaluation results revealed the following: 51% of eighth grade students indicated that it was slightly or not wrong at all for someone their age to participate in one or two drinks of an alcoholic beverage; 69% also indicated that there was slight or no risk in people harming themselves physically or in other ways if they participate in one or two drinks of an alcoholic beverage; and 42% indicated slight or no risk in harm associated with marijuana use, 80% of the students gained knowledge on the risks of using prescription drugs as an illegal substance.

The student evaluation showed an increase in the number of students who realized that a poor choice could not only affect them personally, but their whole family both mentally and financially. The event continues to make an impact on students each year by providing them with a first-hand look at the realities and consequences of getting involved with substance abuse.