Prevention Initiative Mission Statement

The mission of the West Texas HIDTA-Prevention Initiative is to mobilize the El Paso community in the prevention of youth substance abuse, while promoting positive mental health through the implementation of cost-effective evidence-based strategies to reduce illicit drug use/abuse/misuse and juvenile crimes in the West Texas HIDTA region.

Prevention

The purpose of this initiative is to promote better information sharing and collaboration between law enforcement and prevention community stakeholders in their efforts to reduce substance abuse and create safer and healthier communities. Because of the unique position HIDTA holds in understanding the local nature of drug use, the West Texas HIDTA understands that law enforcement alone is not a solution to the regions drug abuse problems.   Preventing drug use before it begins is a cost effective and common-sense approach to achieving safe and healthy communities.  By reducing the demand for drugs, countless lives can be spared, and millions of dollars can be saved.

Prevention goals:

1. Establish and strengthen collaboration among communities, public and private non-profit agencies, and Federal, state, local and tribal agencies to support the efforts of community coalitions to prevent and reduce substance abuse among youth.
2. Reduce substance abuse among youth and, over time, among adults by promoting protective factors in a community that reduce the risk of abuse.
3. Serve as a conduit between the community and law enforcement in the dissemination of drug trafficking and criminal street gang trend information and the reporting of criminal activity.
4. Enable law enforcement officers to participate in the design and implementation of science-based community prevention programs in schools, community coalitions, civic organizations, and faith-based organizations.
5. Help communities in West Texas identify and respond to the growing threat of prescription drug abuse by participating in prescription drug take back programs, supporting public policies to reduce illicit access to prescription drugs, and supporting community efforts to raise awareness of the dangers of prescription drug abuse.