ABSTRACT
Over the last two decades there have been important scientific contributions, if only sporadic application, of knowledge about how to prevent tobacco, alcohol, and other drug abuse through school based interventions. Two recent research consensus statements have agreed that school based programming must contain certain basic elements in order to be effective (NIDA, 1997; Sussman and Johnson, 1996). These support the recommendations of an earlier NCI consensus statement (Glynn, 1989), CDC school smoking prevention guidelines (Centers for Disease Control, 1994), report on prevention of tobacco use in youth. It is no secret what works in schools to prevent tobacco use. Yet a huge gap exists between what is known about prevention science and what is practiced in schools and the community. The increase in cigarette smoking and other substance use over the last five years can be attributed largely to the failure of schools to apply these known prevention principles. Beginning next fall the Department of Education will require that school based drug abuse prevention programs, which generally subsume tobacco prevention programs, must contain certain empirically validated components in order to receive federal support (NPR, 1997).
