Community Council Against Substance Abuse

Our Goal is to work together to reduce the impact of alcohol, marijuana, tobacco and other drugs on our youth using the following interventions:

- An educational program that teaches youth how the law relates to them and the consequences of breaking the law.
- A campaign that promotes the message that teens do not need to drink alcohol or use drugs in order to have a good time.
- SADD Clubs are peer leadership organizations in middle and high schools dedicated to preventing destructive decisions, particularly underage drinking, other drug use, impaired driving, teen violence and suicide.
- The Marion County Children’s Alliance, in cooperation with multiple community partners, hosts an annual kick off event at the Ocala Police Department each year. This event is FREE to the public and all may attend. Red Ribbon Week is an alcohol, tobacco, and other drug and violence prevention awareness campaign observed annually in elementary, middle and high schools across the country.
- The "Hidden in Plain Sight" is an educational display that offers adults an insight into what youth may be hiding in their rooms, and drug paraphernalia that is available in the community. This interactive exhibit displays a typical teenage bedroom, with drug paraphernalia “Hidden in Plain Sight.”
- A student program at North Marion High School focusing on educating students about the 3-D's of driving (distracted, drugged and drunk).
- Just as CPR helps you assist an individual having a heart attack - even if you have no clinical training - Mental Health First Aid helps you assist someone experiencing a mental health related crisis. In the Mental Health First Aid course, you learn risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns, strategies for how to help someone in both crisis and non-crisis situations, and where to turn for help.