Established on August 15, 2006, the Coalition formed as a response to public health concerns identified during a community assessment.  Logan County community members and leaders rank substance abuse among youth as a top priority according to youth need ranking survey and focus groups conducted in the fall of 2005.  Parents, ministers, youth, school teachers/administrators, professionals and community members formed the Coalition to address this social issue.  A refined community assessment on youth substance abuse was completed in early 2008, where reducing underage alcohol use was prioritized.

The mission of the Logan County Drug Free Youth Coalition is to reduce and prevent the harmful effects of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs through community outreach, education, and support.  We do this by bringing together programs, people, and organizations that ascribe to our vision and desire to improve the quality of life in Logan County communities.

In October 2008, the Coalition was awarded a five year $625,000 Drug Free Community Support Grant from the Office of National Drug Control Policy. As a result of the grant award the Coalition participated in extensive training on community organization around identified community conditions that contribute to underage drinking in Logan County. “Favorable Attitudes Towards Underage Drinking” and “Alcohol Availability” are the two identified community conditions the Coalition is responding to with evidenced based strategies to impact underage alcohol use. To address these community conditions the following action is underway: • Year-round media campaign since 2007 to educate parents and young adults on the harmful effects of underage drinking; • Working with law enforcement to implement alcohol compliance checks; • Working with alcohol outlets on instituting evidenced based alcohol management practices; • Partnering with school based youth-led alcohol and drug prevention programs to create school environments that promote positive peer culture that are less tolerant of underage drinking and risk taking behaviors

• 1 of every 5 of 11th graders reported using marijuana in past 30 days • 1 of every 3-11th graders reported using alcohol in past 30-days • 1 of every 3-11th graders reported binge drinking (having more than 5-drinks in a row) at least once in the last 2-weeks. (source: Logan County Search Institute Survey, 2010)