DENVER — We talk a lot about the negatives of social media but now there is a nonprofit that is turning it into a positive way to reach kids to address the opioid crisis and drug use.
The group is called Rise Above Colorado. Their mission is to highlight the good and positive when reaching out to middle and high school students. They organize community events and use social media messages to empower kids to make healthy decisions and fight back against misconceptions that could lead to some dangerous outcomes.
“Despite what they might have heard, the vast majority of youth are not using drugs and alcohol,” said Kent MacLennan, executive director. “So we share some of those positive peer influences that they're really in the majority when they choose not to use and they choose other healthy activities.”
MacLennan said they had just completed a survey of about 900 kids. The Rise Above Colorado survey showed substance use as flat between 2022 and 2024.
However, larger surveys, like through Healthy Kids Colorado, show substance use is still declining.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment share a release about the survey results writing: "The 2021 results highlighted sharp declines in youth substance use. This trend continued into 2023 with decreases in current use of most substances. Youth marijuana use and cigarette use remained stable between 2021 and 2023 at 13% and 3%, respectively."
Significant key findings from the 2023 statewide high school results include:
- Youth who currently drink alcohol decreased by 3 percentage points
- Youth who currently vape decreased by 7 percentage points
- Youth who currently use prescription pain medications without a prescription or differently than prescribed decreased by 2 percentage points
What did catch MacLennan's attention though is that some kids feel substance use is less risky, which isn’t the case, especially because of fentanyl.
“In a lot of the data that we see, there are some warning signs that we have concerns about, and one of those is that perception of risk is going down,” he said.
He also is worried that some kids were sharing that they don't have as strong of a connection and feeling of belonging to community. That's an issue MacLennan said has been on the decline since the pandemic.
It’s why Rise Above Colorado has programs like the statewide teen action council for kids to participate in. They are also working on a statewide sticker contest that is all about the good youth are doing in the community.
If you are interested in checking them out you can go to RiseAboveCO.org.