CADCA

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

CADCA is committed to providing community coalitions with all of the tools they need to build safe, healthy and drug-free communities. We'll help you find the answers to even the toughest questions. Below are some questions and answers that might be on your mind.

What is CADCA? What is a Community Coalition?
Why CADCA? What does CADCA do that coalitions can’t do on their own?
Why do drugs matter? Isn’t the “drug war” lost?
How does CADCA impact our national public policy debate on substance abuse and related violence?
What are CADCA’s long-term public policy goals?
Given the scarcity of federal resources to support the coalition movement and substance abuse prevention in general, what does CADCA do to achieve its aim of helping to build and maintain a sustainable revenue base for the coalition field?
Do you see a problem in some communities stemming from disagreements over whether alcohol or illegal drugs should be the prime target of prevention efforts?
Voters in several states, most recently Maine, have passed laws to permit the medicinal use of marijuana. Does this reflect a softening in public attitudes towards drugs?
What is the current tone of our national drug control policy and how is it affected by the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign?
What role does research play in this process and is CADCA involved in any major research initiatives?
What is the purpose of training and technical assistance services?
How does CADCA provide training and technical assistance to community coalitions?
How is CADCA making use of available technology in offering its training and technical services?
What enhancements can be expected for this year’s National Leadership Forum?
What plans does CADCA have to prepare the coalition field to implement science-based approaches?
How many members does CADCA represent?
What are the benefits of CADCA membership?
What is CADCA’s strategy for providing the best membership services available and for attracting new members?
How does CADCA operate in a field where resources are tight and need is great?

Q What is CADCA? What is a Community Coalition?

A CADCA, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, is the premier membership organization of more than 5,000 community coalitions nationwide that are taking the problems of drugs and violence on -- one community at a time.

Community coalitions are comprised of parents, teachers, law enforcement, businesses, religious leaders, health providers and other community activists who are mobilizing at the local level -- and nationally under the CADCA umbrella -- to make their communities safer, healthier and drug-free.

Coalition building is smart strategy that promotes coordination and collaboration and makes efficient use of limited community resources.
By connecting multiple sectors of the community in a comprehensive approach, community coalitions are achieving real outcomes in substance abuse and violence reduction
“Every community in America should have a coalition, and every coalition should be a member of CADCA.” – President Bill Clinton

A CADCA coalition is “a formal arrangement for cooperation and collaboration between groups or sectors of a community, in which each group retains its identity but all agree to work together toward a common goal of building a safe, healthy and drug-free community”.

Q Why CADCA? What does CADCA do that coalitions can’t do on their own?

A In fighting the abuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, local coalitions must have every tool available to succeed in their mission. CADCA creates and strengthens the capacity of these coalitions to build safe, healthy and drug-free communities.

As the leading voice for coalitions and substance abuse prevention in the public policy domain, CADCA secures crucial funding for coalitions on Capitol Hill and supports legislation to fund coalitions, prevention, research and treatment.
With its expert and accessible staff, CADCA provides cutting-edge training, technical assistance and research, as well as meeting and conference logistics, so coalitions can optimize their effectiveness and implement the best practices known to the drug field.
Through its many strategic partnerships, involvement with the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, and anaggressive communications operation, CADCA is helping coalitions market their impressive outcomes and engage the American public in support of the coalition movement.
“ CADCA is the vital link that brings the community anti-drug movement into the national arena…Without CADCA, those on the frontlines of the battle against substance abuse would be far less effective." – Joseph Califano, Jr., Chairman and President, The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.

Q Why do drugs matter? Isn’t the “drug war” lost?

A Drugs, and related violence, continue to be among the top concerns of parents and youth. According to recent surveys, a majority of teens say that drugs are the biggest problem facing their generation. CADCA coalitions are taking decisive action in their neighborhoods to save kids from the very real dangers of substance abuse and the crime and family destruction which often follows. We’ll leave the metaphors and pontificating to others. The fact is that our country is engaged in a national strategy to get kids to reject illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Community anti-drug coalitions are one part of that strategy that is, by all accounts, getting results.

Public Policy and Research

Q How does CADCA impact our national public policy debate on substance abuse and related violence?

A Competition for public resources and attention is filled with many important and noble causes. In Washington, D.C., CADCA’s public policy team works to ensure adequate focus on what we think is the most important issue facing the nation -- keeping our kids away from illegal drugs, as well as alcohol and tobacco. To that end, the public policy team does the following:

CADCA worked closely with Congressman Rob Portman, Congressman Sandy Levin and Senator Charles Grassley to develop the Drug-Free Communities Act, legislation to strengthen existing coalitions and serve as a catalyst for the creation of new coalitions --building a national infrastructure of prevention activists.
To be effective, a drug prevention strategy must be comprehensive and community-wide. Thanks to legislation developed in cooperation with CADCA, the Safe and Drug Free Schools program will continue to be an important component of drug-free strategies being implemented by community coalitions nationwide.
As described in the National Drug Control Strategy developed by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, we must pursue a balanced approach to drug policy. CADCA is the leading advocate on Capitol Hill for funding for coalitions, substance abuse prevention, treatment and research.

Q What are CADCA’s long-term public policy goals?

A As the leading advocate for substance abuse prevention and treatment in Washington, CADCA will continue to lobby the federal government in support of providing adequate funding for substance abuse and violence prevention, treatment and research. CADCA will also continue to aggressively support funding for the Drug-Free Communities Act and the Safe and Drug Free Schools Program.

Q Given the scarcity of federal resources to support the coalition movement and substance abuse prevention in general, what does CADCA do to achieve its aim of helping to build and maintain a sustainable revenue base for the coalition field?

A CADCA recognizes and conveys to its members the importance of expanding and diversifying its financial base. This can be achieved by having the right membership and board of directors, as well as becoming a non-profit corporation so the coalition can leverage private funding.

Q Do you see a problem in some communities stemming from disagreements over whether alcohol or illegal drugs should be the prime target of prevention efforts?

A Nationally, alcohol is the most widely abused substance among our young people, and that fact is reflected in our discussions with CADCA members. However, the degree to which alcohol is emphasized in the coalitions’ strategic plans depends on their specific circumstances at home. CADCA’s focus is on giving coalitions the tools they need to address the problems in their communities, no matter what those problems might be.

Q Voters in several states, most recently Maine, have passed laws to permit the medicinal use of marijuana. Does this reflect a softening in public attitudes towards drugs?

A CADCA’s primary commitment is to its members and to helping them to solve the problems facing their communities, which more often than not include marijuana abuse by young people. CADCA membership has voiced the concern that some of the information presented in this important policy debate might be misleading and designed to play on people’s emotions. CADCA would expect that any consideration of legalizing a drug for medicinal use would receive the attention of the Food and Drug Administration, and that advertisements in support of all ballot initiatives will accurately depict their true content.

Q What is the current tone of our national drug control policy and how is it affected by the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign?

A Thanks to the leadership of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, our country is moving in the right direction with regard to our investment in substance abuse prevention and treatment. From the perspective of our community coalitions who are on the front lines reducing substance abuse every day, we feel that a greater investment in prevention and treatment would be warranted and cost-effective. As for the Media Campaign, the Congress, the Administration and the many partners of the Media Campaign – including Partnership for a Drug-Free America, CADCA, the Ad Council and others – should be commended for creating an atmosphere in which the prevention message is saturating our airwaves.

Q What role does research play in this process and is CADCA involved in any major research initiatives?

A In partnership with the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the National Institute of Drug Addiction, the Annie Casey Foundation and many others, CADCA is constantly undertaking research projects to provide qualitative and quantitative analysis of community coalitions and prevention practices across the country. CADCA’s recent study with the Annie Casey Foundation was a multi-site case study initiative that examined many of the impressive outcomes coalitions are achieving and, in essence, what makes a coalition effective.

Training and Technical Assistance

Q What is the purpose of training and technical assistance services?

A Thee is a wealth of research and academic analysis in the substance abuse and violence prevention field. CADCA’s training and technical assistance team converts that cutting-edge research into practical and relevant tools and skills that coalition leaders and community-based practitioners can apply to their own work.

The ultimate goal is to train and develop the entire prevention field an equip leaders to address the new and emerging challenges at the community level. CADCA implements some of the following in this effort:

The CADCA team is on the road year-round offering off-site training and technical assistance to CADCA members and non-members across the country. These sessions provide ample opportunity for one-on-one interaction between CADCA professionals and coalition leaders.

By training in the coalition’s home community, CADCA staff can tailor their training and technical assistance services to best fit the needs of the local coalition.
CADCA staff teaches coalitions specific skills to address strategic planning, problem solving and team building, involving diverse sectors of the community and others needed to sustain the coalition and be successful in their mission.
CADCA staff also provides training and technical assistance for coalitions on how to locate funding sources, write grants and develop methods for self-evaluation and assessment.

Q How does CADCA provide training and technical assistance to community coalitions?

A CADCA produces and distributes several publications, The Practical Theorist and Strategizer, that provide member coalitions with current and practical information to make their coalitions more effective. These publications and CADCA training and technical assistance services take the essence of current research in the substance abuse prevention field and offer it to coalitions in a user-friendly format.

Q How does CADCA make use of available technology in training and technical services?

A Through a strategic partnership with the National Guard, CADCA offers distance learning opportunities for coalitions via satellite. CADCA has also recently hired a webmaster who has improved the website and soon hopes to add real-time training and technical assistance sessions to the site that coalitions can access around the world.

Q What enhancements can be expected for this year’s National Leadership Forum?

A Based on feedback from past participants, CADCA staff has developed an agenda that will feature intensive sessions offering in-depth training and continuing education on specific topics. Forum XII will host over 65 concurrent workshop sessions on “hot topics” confronted by coalitions today, such as so-called club drugs and raves, the tobacco settlement and developing media strategies. Attendees can expect to leave Forum XII energized and better prepared to meet the prevention challenges of the 21^st Century.

Q The aggressive movement towards science and research-based practices could have the unfortunate effect of leaving some local coalitions behind, running contrary to the spirit of grass-roots activism that drives so many coalitions. What plans does CADCA have to prepare the coalition field to implement science-based approaches?

A The CADCA team maintains close working relationships with prevention researchers who we know will facilitate partnerships and creative collaborations to ensure that research knowledge is appropriately used by the field. CADCA’s publications and distance learning opportunities through satellite broadcasts allow us to take research and translate it into user-friendly tips that coalitions can implement, providing critical guidance, advice and support to the field.

Membership and Strategic Partnerships

Q How many members does CADCA represent?

A CADCA represents more than 5,000 community coalitions with whom we communicate regularly. CADCA also has 27 state association members who each represent hundreds of substance abuse and community health professionals. Through its aggressive outreach at the grassroots, state and federal level, CADCA has the ability to touch millions of people nationwide to help build drug-free communities.

Q What are the benefits of CADCA membership?

A As part of the preeminent national network for substance abuse prevention, CADCA has a powerful voice for prevention and treatment on Capitol Hill.

Legislative Alerts distributed via fax keep coalitions involved in time sensitive legislative issues
A subscription to CADCA’s newsletter, Coalitions, providing the latest news, trends and tips to help develop and maintain successful local anti-drug coalitions
Coalition receives Training and Technical Assistance at no or reduced cost
Regular Legislative Updates distributed via fax and e-mail, keeping coalitions informed of congressional action and results of CADCA’s national public policy efforts
Access to special “members only” pages of www.cadca.org
A subscription to the Strategizer series of training publications that offer concise, proven solutions to a wide range of issues.
A subscription to the Practical Theorist series, a publication summarizing scientific research findings in easy-to- understand terms.
Discounts on CADCA annual conference, National Leadership Forum
Discounts on CADCA publications
Special access to ‘members only’ links on CADCA’s E-mail notification service, CADCA E-News
Access to branding materials to help your coalition be recognized as part of CADCA. Examples including camera ready artwork, E-branding kits for internet use as well as customizable public service announcements for television.

Q What is CADCA’s strategy for providing the best membership services available and for attracting new members?

A CADCA’s strategy for delivering membership services is to recognize that community coalitions are the only reason we exist, and that we must do everything we can to provide our members with the best services available in a friendly fashion. This refers not only to the quality of our “product,” i.e. our training and technical assistance services, National Leadership Forum, but also to the quality of our customer service. CADCA staff continually strives to be friendly and accessible to our members. We constantly seek feedback from members and other coalitions about how we can better improve. Only by providing the best service available, by giving community coalitions the tools they need to build safer, healthier and drug-free communities, can CADCA keep its membership satisfied and attract new members.

Q How does CADCA operate in a field where resources are tight and need is great?

A CADCA firmly believes that in order to be successful and to make the most effective use of available resources, the prevention field must engage in strategic partnerships, or coalitions. CADCA has many strategic partners on many fronts, including the important partnership between CADCA and the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). As the overseer of our national drug control policy -- of which community anti-drug coalitions play such an important role -- CADCA looks to ONDCP for leadership and opportunities to work together as they have done with the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign. And CADCA’s partnership with the National Guard provides greater opportunity for community coalitions to receive current and crucial instruction to advance their cause of building safer, healthier and drug-free communities.

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