Durham/Middlefield Drug-Free Program Gets $125,000 Grant

A Durham and Middlefield support program aimed at combatting drug abuse among young people was one of three recipients to be awarded a $125,000 federal grant.

U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) announced Friday that $375,000 in new Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program grants would be going to groups representing Durham, Middlefield, Guilford and Milford.


The Durham/Middlefield DFC, The Assets Steering Committee in Guilford and Bridges…A Community Support System in Milford were each awarded $125,000, according to a news release from DeLauro's office.

Some of the projects the has been working on Durham/Middlefield Coalition include a community-wide social host campaign, police party patrols and a youth-lead underage drinking campaign, explained Betsy Dean, the group's chairman.

"The community has embraced strategies put in place over the first year: raising awareness and looking at policies around underage substance use is helping to keep our kids safe," Dean said. "We are looking forward to expanding our work in the community going forward."

DeLauro said in the news release that the future of America is largely dependent on young people to "make decisions that will help keep them healthy and safe."

“Preventing youth drug use is especially important in light of recent research that found early, persistent marijuana users showed a permanent drop in IQ of eight points," DeLauro said. "We must focus on preventing youth drug use if the United States wants to remain a global leader. I am proud to have such dedicated people in Connecticut and congratulate these three groups on winning this grant.”

The DFC Program provides grants of up to $625,000 over five years to community coalitions that facilitate citizen participation in local drug prevention efforts. It was created by the Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997 and has awarded nearly 2,000 grants to communities in all 50 states and seven territories. It is uniquely structured to ensure effectiveness, requiring a community to demonstrate local commitment before becoming eligible to receive federal funds.

The above information came from a press release. You can read it in full here.