Cannabis Awareness and Prevention Toolkit

Website

https://med.stanford.edu/cannabispreventiontoolkit.html

Program Description

The Cannabis Awareness and Prevention Toolkit (CAPT), developed by Stanford Medicine's Research and Education to Empower Adolescents and Young Adults to Choose Health (REACH) Lab, is a theory-based, evidence-informed educational resource aimed at preventing and delaying cannabis use among middle and high school students. The toolkit includes the "Smart Talk: Cannabis Prevention & Awareness Curriculum," a five-lesson program covering topics such as cannabis basics, health effects, marketing awareness, and refusal skills. It also provides session presentation slides, facilitator guides, interactive activities, and data dashboards for facilitators to assess changes in students’ cannabis-related knowledge and intentions.

Prevention Category

Universal

Practice Level

Individual

Strategies

Education

Practice Components

Level
Components
Individual
Cognitive Behavioral Strategies
Education
Psychoeducation
Skills Training
Relationship
None
Community/Society
None

Risk and Protective Factors

Risk Factors
Protective Factors
Individual Risk Factors
Early initiation of substance use
Favorable attitudes towards substance abuse
Internalizing behaviors (e.g., anxiety, depression, social withdrawal)
Poor coping skills and behaviors
Individual Protective Factors
Strong coping skills (e.g., problem-solving skills, ability to stand up for beliefs and values)
Family Risk Factors
None
Family Protective Factors
None
School, Peer, and Community Risk Factors
Norms favorable towards substance use
School, Peer, and Community Protective Factors
None

Population Age

Age 6-12
Age 13-17

Populations of Focus

General Population
Hispanic or Latino
LGBTQI+

Settings

Home
School (K-12)
Community-based program
Other

Parental/Caregiver Involvement

Recommended or optional

Substance Use Prevention Focus

Cannabis

Recommended Staffing

Prevention staff
Teachers or educators

Empirical Evidence of Impact

Substance Substance-Related Behavior Population Age Evidence Strength and Study Populations of Focus
Cannabis Changes in Knowledge, Attitudes, or Beliefs Adolescents Practice-Based Evidence (General Population)1
Cannabis Reduced Use or Delayed Initiation Adolescents Practice-Based Evidence (General Population)1
References

1 Stanford Research and Education to Empower Adolescents and Young Adults to Choose Health Lab. (n.d.). Stanford REACH Lab Cannabis Awareness & Prevention Toolkit. Stanford Medicine. Retrieved from https://med.stanford.edu/cannabispreventiontoolkit.html

Training and Technical Assistance

If you have any questions or inquiries about CAPT, please contact the developer at tobprevtoolkit@stanford.edu.

Adaptations

CAPT materials are available in Spanish, and also include a series of lessons for LGBTQ+ (the Pride Curriculum) that can be integrated into CAPT.

Program Costs

Required training and implementation materials are available at no cost.

What California Providers Are Saying

What They Like About Cannabis Prevention Toolkit

  • The program curriculum is easy to navigate, making implementation simple.
  • Trainings and curricula are free and available online.
  • Additional live and recorded trainings are provided at no cost.
  • Stanford staff are highly responsive to needs and questions that arise during implementation.
  • Developers welcome suggestions to improve experience.
  • The program is centered around youth and decision-making, where youth make informed decisions rather than promoting cessation.
  • Healthy behaviors are encouraged beyond simply quitting smoking, vaping or cannabis use.
  • Unlike other evidence-based programs, materials are continuously refreshed to stay relevant.

 

Tips and Recommendations for Implementing Cannabis Prevention Toolkit

  • Lessons can be combined and adapted if needed to fit needs of each group. Identify the most relevant lessons.
  • Movement-based activities can be added to keep kids active and engaged.
  • Use optional activities from the toolkit; developers provide guidance on content adjustments.
  • Complete the fidelity surveys at the end of the curriculum for feedback and improvement.
  • The toolkit is recommended for others and can also be used to train interns.
  • Adjust content slides as needed to maintain engagement.
  • Kahoot activities are encouraged for use as students enjoy and engage well with interactive learning tools.
  • If needed, content can be translated for non-English-speaking groups; bilingual interns have successfully translated materials into Hmong.

Labels

Universal,

Individual,

Information dissemination,
Education,

Cognitive Behavioral Strategies,
Education,
Psychoeducation,
Skills Training,

Early initiation of substance use,
Favorable attitudes towards substance abuse,
Internalizing behaviors (e.g. anxiety, depression, social withdrawal),
Poor coping skills and behaviors,

Strong coping skills (e.g. problem-solving skills, ability to stand up for beliefs and values),

Norms favorable towards substance use,

Age 6-12, Ages 6-12,
Age 13-17, Ages 13-17,

General Population,
Hispanic,
LGBTQ, LGBTQ+,

Recommended/optional, recommended optional,

Cannabis,

Home,
School (K-12), k-12,
Community-based program, community based programs,
Other (Health-Related Organization),

Prevention Staff,
Teachers/Educators, teachers educators,