The Garrett County Drug Free Communities Coalition (DFCC) serves as a steering committee and advisory board for numerous grants of the Garrett County Health Department. In addition to the DFCC which meets monthly, there are also three DFCC Action Teams that meet monthly. These are the Action Team to Prevent Underage Drinking and Tobacco Use, the Action Team to Prevent Marijuana Use, and the Action Team to Prevent Prescription and Opiate Misuse/Abuse.
At the monthly meetings, the Action Teams work separately to strategize around the drug they are working on. Community volunteers are always invited to participate on the Action Team that addresses the prevention of the drug they feel most strongly about.
Community volunteers that want to be a part of not just planning, but doing the work that will help protect our youth from the consequences of substance use are invited to participate on a DFCC Action Team. Attend a meeting or call Brenda Sisler or Kendra McLaughlin at the health department at 301-334-7730 or 301-895-3111.
The Action Team to Prevent Underage Drinking and Tobacco Use looks at strategies to address the high rates of underage and binge drinking in Garrett County, the high rates of smokeless tobacco use, and emerging trends with electronic vapor devices. The Action Team is especially concerned about the social access (provision of alcohol through non-commercial sources) to alcohol and tobacco for underage youth.
The Action Team to Prevent Marijuana Use aims to provide widespread community education on the myths and facts about marijuana as the medical marijuana law in Maryland takes effect. Topics of interest to this Action Team include worksite policies related to medical marijuana, slowing the spread of promotional marijuana items at community festivals and fairs, and maintaining low rates of marijuana use among our youth.
The Action Team to Prevent Prescription and Opiate Misuse/Abuse looks at strategies to improve access to treatment and support services for addicts and their families, while at the same time supporting strategies to reduce access to prescription drugs that would potentially be misused. This Action Team coordinated a Candlelight Vigil during National Prevention Week and was instrumental in the staging of a mock teen bedroom at the county fair to provide education for parents about signs of potential drug use among their teenagers.
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