LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky's attorney general announced on Tuesday they are taking a new approach to the opioid epidemic, called the "Better Without It" initiative.
The idea is that drug prevention goes beyond just saying no.
They want to get to the heart of the issue to create positive youth development, or what they call the "Five C's:" competence, confidence, connection, character and compassion.
The Opioid Abatement Commission unanimously passed $3.6 million for the youth drug prevention program.
Attorney General Russell Coleman said it will meet kids where they are, including social media and streaming platforms.
"We dove into how they see substance use, and we actually looked at social media content, we looked at forums, we looked at Reddit, we watched YouTube videos, digging into how they think in their own words about this," he said.
"A big thing you'll see across the country now is resilience. Because obviously, substance misuse comes from somewhere. Yes, it's experimentation, but there's a coping factor, no matter which socioeconomic background the youth comes from. So instilling that on the front end with resilience is something that is huge."
They also found the campaign has lowered stress and introduced positive coping mechanisms.
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