Opioid Abuse Prevention

House Bill 367 - Opioid Abuse Prevention

Ohio’s 130th General Assembly enacted House Bill 367, which includes updated health education requirement for schools and districts. The law added requirements to health education to include instruction in phrescription opioid abuse prevention. 

This webpage outlines the health education requirements surrounding opioid abuse prevention and provides resources for educators.  

Health Education Requirements 

Ohio law requires school districts to provide instruction on a variety of subjects which includes health education. Health education must include instruction on prescription opioid abuse prevention, with an emphasis on the prescription drug epidemic and the connection between prescription opioid abuse and addiction to other drugs, such as heroin.

Drug Use Prevention Resource Guide 

In 2016, the Ohio Joint Study Committee on Drug Use Prevention Education recommended that every Ohio student receives annual, age-appropriate prevention education in grades kindergarten through 12. To ensure that schools had the resources to develop comprehensive prevention plans, the Committee released the Ohio Attorney General’s Drug Use Prevention Resource Guide (2018).  

The resource guide contains recommendations for schools to use when implementing drug prevention efforts. The resource guide includes prevention best-practices and offers prevention strategies based on students’ needs at each developmental stage.  

Supports 

Listed below are instructional supports which contain information on prescription opioid abuse prevention. Health education instruction must include information on prescription opioid abuse prevention, with an emphasis on the prescription drug epidemic and the connection between prescription opioid abuse and addiction to other drugs, such as heroin.  

Generation Rx 

Audience: Toolkits for Elementary and Teen  

  • A collection of age-appropriate, engaging resources that educate students about the potential dangers of misusing prescription medications 

Health and Opioid-Abuse Prevention Education (HOPE) Curriculum 

Audience: Lessons for K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12 

  • A series of lessons, assessments and learning materials to develop students’ functional knowledge, attitudes and necessary skills to prevent drug abuse. The lessons are designed to be part of a larger substance abuse prevention unit within a school’s health education curriculum. 

Too Good for Drugs 

Audience: Lessons for K-5, 6-8 and 9-12 

  • A universal K-12 prevention education program designed to mitigate the risk factors and the enhance protective factors related to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD) use. The lessons introduce and develop skills for making healthy choices, building positive friendships, developing self-efficacy, communicating effectively, and resisting peer pressure and influence. 

Resources 

Local Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board 

  • Ohio‘s county Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health (ADAMH) Boards are statutorily empowered to plan, develop, fund, manage, and evaluate community-based mental health and addiction services. 

Local Prevention Coalitions 

  • The Statewide Prevention Coalition Association is comprised of more than 60 community coalitions dedicated to preventing substance misuse and promoting mental health wellness.  

Recovery Ohio 

  • Governor Mike DeWine commissioned the RecoveryOhio initiative with the goal of making treatment available to Ohioans in need, providing support services for those in recovery and their families, offering direction for the state’s prevention and education efforts and working with local law enforcement to provide resources to fight illicit drugs at the source.    

Take Charge Ohio 

  • An initiative from the Ohio Department of Health, Take Charge Ohio works to empower all Ohioans to work together to use pain medication safely.   

Start Talking! 

  • The Start Talking! program encourages age-appropriate conversations with children. Simply having regular conversations with your students is an effective tool to prevent drug use and show your support.  

Prevention Action Alliance 

  • Prevention Action Alliance offers programs designed to assist healthy communities in the prevention of substance misuse and the promotion of mental health wellness. 

Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services 

  • The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) exists to provide statewide leadership of a high-quality mental health and addiction prevention, treatment and recovery system that is effective and valued by all Ohioans.

Ohio Attorney General’s Drug Use Prevention Resource Guide 

  • In 2016, the Ohio Joint Study Committee on Drug Use Prevention Education recommended that every Ohio student receives annual, age-appropriate prevention education in grades kindergarten through 12. To ensure that schools had the resources to develop comprehensive prevention plans, this guide was created. 

National Institute on Drug Abuse 

  • NIDA provides science-based information about drug use, health, and the developing brain designed for young people and those who influence them. 

SAMHSA’s National Helpline 

  • SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders. 

Last Modified: 8/31/2023 10:58:44 AM