Grassroots Advocacy in Action One coalition’s work advocating for teen drug prevention policy

Grassroots Advocacy in ActionOne coalition’s work advocating for teen drug prevention policy

Inga ManskopfPrevention WINSDivision of Adolescent MedicineSeattle Children’s Hospital

Prevention WINS2006: Coalition formed to prevent underage drinking, Eckstein Middle School

2010: Expanded focus to include marijuana & prescription drugs, moved to Adolescent Medicine

Prevention WINSPrevention activities

• Life Skills Training• Guiding Good Choices &

Strengthening Families Program

• Parent pledge• Social marketing campaign• Media advocacy• Legislative advocacy• Youth groups

Policy domains• Home

Parent pledge• Neighborhood

Media advocacy• Institutional

Seattle Public SchoolsSeattle Police Department

• City/CountyKing County Take Back Your Meds

Policy domains• State

Liquor Control Board I-502 rulemaking extended alcohol

hours alcohol advertising

Meetings with legislatorsInitiatives 1183 & 502WASAVP

• FederalMeetings with Kerlikowske,

Durkan, McDermott

Take Back Your Meds: Overview

KING 5 story -- King County Secure Medicine Return Policy

2010: Statewide Take Back Your Meds Coalition

2011 & 2012: State legislation failed two years in a row

Summer 2012: King County Board of Health formed Secure Medicine Return Subcommittee

Fall 2012: King County Take Back Your Meds Coalition formed

June 2013: Policy adopted

November 2013: Pharmaceutical companies filed lawsuit

Take Back Your Meds: Action• Initial outreach from state coalition

• Got to know key staff

• Organized representatives from multiple sectors• Letter-writing• Meetings with BOH members• Communication – internal & external media• Additional outreach

Take Back Your Meds: Action• Testified

• Committee meetings• BOH meetings• Public hearings

• Monitored• Committee meeting discussions• Changes to policy• Drug company concerns

• Communicated• FB page• Media interviews

Take Back Your Meds: Lessons learned

• Champions are key

• Stories are important

• Diverse coalition is ideal

• Be ready for media

Liquor Control Board: Overview• Alcohol advertising rules

• Extended alcohol service hours

• I-502 rule making

Liquor Control Board: Action“Formal” advocacy• Letters• Testimony

“Informal” advocacy• Chats• Inclusion in emails• Staff relationships

Liquor Control Board: Lessons learned• Know your research

• If you don’t speak up, someone else will

• Advocacy is a continuous process

Lessons learnedRead* legislation, fiscal notes, rules, reports

• Everything is online

• Public records requests

• The devil is in the details

• Will use information in the future

*If you cannot, consult with someone who has.

More lessons learned• Relationships are important!

• Listen to your allies and opposition.

• You are the expert in your field.

• Stay focused.

Prevention WINS

PreventionWorksInSeattle.org

PreventionWorksInSeattle.blogspot.com

facebook.com/Prevention.WINS

youtube.com/user/PreventionWINS