The mission of the Crawford County Substance Use Prevention Coalition is to help youth build healthy lifestyles free of addictive substance use. All work of the coalition will be centered on preventing first-time substance use by area youth.

Crawford County Substance Use Prevention Coalition

This spring, the Missouri Department of Public Safety and our state partners warned about the extreme danger posed by nitazenes – synthetic opioids considered five to 10 times more dangerous than fentanyl. Health authorities were concerned because these lab-made opioids were showing up in wastewater sampling from Missouri schools and in counterfeit pills, powders and vapes.
‼️⚠️Now, another dangerous synthetic opioid that’s also considered to be up to 10 times more deadly than fentanyl – cychlorphine – is concerning health officials across the country.
▶️Los Angeles County has just confirmed its first death linked to cychlorphine.
▶️In April, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy reported 55 deaths had been linked to cychlorphine dating back to 2025.
Cychlorphine suppresses breathing, causing severe, life-threatening respiratory and cardiovascular depression.
It is currently undetectable by fentanyl testing strips and is being mixed into the illicit drug supply without people knowing.

▶️Naloxone works with cychlorphine, just as it does with nitazenes. But multiple doses may be required to reverse an overdose caused by opioids.
▶️Treat any illicit substance as a potential risk. Stay informed, stay prepared, avoid illicit substances and carry naloxone. It’s safe to use and saves lives.
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Missouri State Highway Patrol Missouri Department of Mental Health ...

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Crawford County Substance Use Prevention Coalition

2 days ago

76.2% of Missouri 6th – 12th graders think their friends feel it would be ‘wrong’ or ‘very wrong’ to vape. Chat with your teen about peer pressure. #missouristudentsurvey #peers #vapingprevention

Source: dmh.mo.gov/sites/g/files/zuston541/files/media/pdf/2026/05/mss-2026-simple-state-report.pdf ...

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Crawford County Substance Use Prevention Coalition

3 days ago

95.5% of Missouri students grades 6th – 12th say their parents feel it would be ‘wrong’ or ‘very wrong’ for them to vape. Keep talking! They hear you. #talktheyhearyou #missouristudentsurvey #vapingprevention

Source: dmh.mo.gov/sites/g/files/zuston541/files/media/pdf/2026/05/mss-2026-simple-state-report.pdf ...

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The Prevention Coalition has been meeting since February of 2025 and includes approximately 30 community representatives from law enforcement, schools, media, parents, local agencies, local foundations, business, churches, public officials, health services, counseling, faith-based recovery, and youth programs. The coalition is focused on delivering prevention education for parents and youth in Crawford County. CCSUPC is a Missouri registered coalition with the Missouri Department of Mental Health which includes membership with the Missouri Prevention Network. All work of the coalition is centered on preventing first-time substance use by area youth. Stopping first-time drug use—especially vapes, alcohol, and smoking (both marijuana and tobacco)—is a key step in preventing students and adults from moving on to use other more serious drugs, including opioids.

Meetings are held at noon on the second Monday of each month at the Life House Youth Center in Cuba, which is located at 316 E. Washington (Route 66). All are welcome to participate.

Local Prevention

Youth Trading Cards

The creation of local youth trading cards will use the protective factor of positive peer influence. Local high school student athletes from each school district will share the reasons they choose to be alcohol, vape, and other drug free (their “Why”) with younger peers through the creation of trading cards. The two-sided, professionally produced trading cards will include the student athlete’s picture, general information about the student athlete, and their “Why.” The student athletes will interact with middle school and younger students in their district during lunch periods and distribute the trading cards with these students while they interact with them. This strategy will reach 863 middle school students.

Prevention Blitz

Posters and banners will be created with the support of a prevention media professional from the Prevention Resource Center. The banners and posters will be used to do three “prevention blitz” campaigns in each middle and high school in the county. Banners and posters will have matching social norming prevention messaging. The “blitzing” will be done by placing banner and poster in key school building locations overnight, so students are confronted with the messaging that has been strategically placed when they come back to school. Each blitz period will last approximately four weeks and then posters and banners are taken down until the next messaging blitz with new banners and posters. This strategy will reach 1,759 high school and middle school students.

Sign Holding Events

The Coalition held its first anti-substance-use messaging sign-holding event at the Cuba schools in December to send students into Christmas break with some positive messages about staying away from substances, including tobacco, vapes, drinking, and drugs. Other events are planned at the Bourbon and Steelville schools in the spring.