This week, 81 national and state public health, medical, law enforcement, and consumer protection organizations signed onto a letter urging Congress to include language in the final FY 2026 Agriculture appropriations bill to close the hemp loophole created by the 2018 Farm Bill.

In August 2025, five CADCA staff members attended the National Conference on Tobacco or Health (NCTOH) in Chicago, Illinois. As one of the largest national gatherings for tobacco prevention professionals, the conference brought together leaders, practitioners, and advocates to share strategies and strengthen connections across the field.

Through the Retail Alcohol Data (RAD) Collaborative, 31 community coalitions across 15 states visited 2,368 stores to collect data on alcohol pricing, placement, and promotion.

At CADCA’s 2025 Mid-Year Training Institute in Nashville, seven youth leaders from the Voices of Youth program presented the projects they’ve been building over the past year. Through hands-on training and mentorship, youth participants design and implement projects addressing substance use and mental health challenges where they live.

At this year’s Mid-Year Training Institute, CADCA introduced a new offering: Enhanced Technical Assistance (TA) for 11 coalitions in Arkansas. This is an exciting step forward in how we support coalitions in their journey.

Earlier this summer, CPHSS’s Zara Petkovic and Laura Brossart led a webinar to guide attendees through the research behind CADCA’s Coalition Competencies and provide insights on how coalitions can begin building stronger internal communication processes.

From July 20-24, prevention professionals from across the globe convened in Nashville, TN for CADCA’s 24th Annual Mid-Year Training Institute. With more than 2,100 attendees, including over 400 youth attendees, the conference offered hundreds of educational workshops and unparalleled networking opportunities.

On July 23, 2025, Terrance Cole was sworn in as the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator. Cole, a former Naval Officer, has 31 years of law enforcement experience, including 22 years at the DEA. During his tenure as a DEA Special Agent, he served in a variety of domestic and international posts, including Colombia, Afghanistan, and the Middle East.

This week, President Trump signed the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act, also called the HALT Fentanyl Act into law. This important legislation permanently designates all fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs.

Since its start in 2016, the Belchertown Overcoming Adversity Together (BOAT) Coalition has made a name for itself as a powerhouse for prevention and building community connections. What started as a taskforce addressing opioid misuse has grown into a well-rounded, youth-focused coalition grounded in public health, compassion, and evidence-based practices.

This summer, CADCA welcomed Gubat Abdullaev to the organization through the Frank Karel Fellowship in Public Interest Communications. The Karel Fellowship is an eight-week program that matches undergraduate students with non-profit organizations in the Washington, DC area, with the goal of encouraging them to consider professional opportunities in the field of public interest communications.

CADCA is proud to spotlight nine youth leaders selected for its Voices of Youth program, a SAMHSA-funded initiative run by CADCA in partnership with the HOSA Future Health Professionals.

On June 14, teens from across the state of Maryland gathered for the Take Back Your 10 (TB10) Youth Summit, a day dedicated to celebrating the high school students’ efforts throughout the year and exploring how tobacco shows up in their everyday lives. TB10 is a youth-led, adult-guided program aimed at promoting youth voices through education and awareness of how the tobacco industry markets in their own neighborhoods.

When you hear the word “healthy,” what immediately comes to mind? For many of us, the first thoughts are diet and exercise: eating well, staying active by hitting the gym, or cutting back on sugar. However, health is much more than that.  

In Western Kentucky, Graves County Agency for Substance Abuse Policy and Prevention (ASAP) is showing what’s possible when young people are trusted to lead. At the heart of their work is the Mayfield-Graves County Youth Council, a group of students who lead campaigns and events to further the coalition’s prevention efforts.