Holly Pearce, 18, stands at the West Linn High School club fair, promoting a drug and alcohol prevention club. While she tells prospective members they can earn free food and an honors cord for graduation by joining, she doesn’t initially emphasize the club’s focus on substance use prevention. “The free food,” she says, “that’s what gets people there in the first place.” Once inside, it’s her mother, Pam Pearce, who keeps students engaged.

Pam Pearce, who has been in recovery for 28 years, shares her personal story during lunchtime meetings. She talks about her experiences growing up in Lake Oswego, attending the University of Southern California, and living a life that almost led to her death due to addiction. “The only honors I had was biggest partier and best dressed,” she recalls, stressing the point that addiction can affect anyone. It’s a message aimed at dispelling the myth that addiction only happens to “other” people.

Pam’s advocacy comes at a critical time for Oregon, where at least 354 youths have died from drug overdoses since 2018, largely due to fentanyl-laced substances flooding the market. As a concerned parent, Pam has become part of an emerging trend in Oregon where parents are taking matters into their own hands. According to a recent six-month investigation by The Lund Report, Oregon’s schools are generally underperforming in the area of substance use prevention, with many relying on minimal programs that lack scientific backing.

In Oregon, schools have wide autonomy in how they implement substance use prevention strategies, and the state provides little support or accountability for these efforts. As a result, in districts where stronger prevention programs exist, they are often driven by individual teachers and parents like Pam Pearce, rather than state mandates. For instance, after Michele Stroh lost her son Keaton to a fentanyl-laced pill in 2020, she pushed for stronger prevention efforts in the Oregon City School District. She recruited speakers, organized educational events, and successfully lobbied to have Narcan, a drug that reverses overdoses, placed in all schools and sports facilities in the district. Oregon City became the first district in Clackamas County to have a Narcan policy. Despite her success, Stroh found that other districts were more hesitant to take similar action.

The efforts of Jon and Jennifer Epstein in Beaverton highlight another example of grassroots advocacy. After losing their son Cal to a fentanyl overdose in 2020, the Epsteins worked with the Beaverton School District to create the “Fake and Fatal” program, which educates students about the dangers of fentanyl and counterfeit pills. Their advocacy resulted in a state law mandating fentanyl education in schools, and national legislation is now being considered.

In response to these tragedies, The Lund Report created an online data portal that provides accessible information on the effectiveness of various prevention programs in Oregon school districts. This tool draws on expert ratings from leading prevention scientists and allows parents and communities to assess the efficacy of the programs in their schools.

Pam Pearce’s club at West Linn High School has grown to nearly 200 members. The teens in the club don’t just learn about substance use prevention—they also advise their local prevention coalition and visit middle schools to talk to younger kids about what to expect in high school. The club offers a safe space for students to talk about drugs without judgment. “My view immediately changed as I set foot in this club,” said Jonathan Garcia, 17, the club’s president. “I listened to Pam in that first meeting, and I was just like, ‘Oh, my God — what have I been taught?’” Many teens, including Aidan Sauer, 15, appreciated the club’s honest and direct approach to discussing addiction.

Pearce’s efforts extend beyond the club. She has worked with teachers to share prevention tools and lobbied her district to participate in the state’s Student Health Survey. The survey asks students about their substance use and well-being and will now be administered statewide. Pearce believes that this survey is vital for understanding the effectiveness of prevention efforts. “It also allows young people to share with you what’s happening in their environment,” she said.

One evidence-based prevention program gaining traction in Oregon is the PAX Good Behavior Game, which focuses on teaching kids self-regulation and self-control. The game is used in several elementary schools across Washington County, including the Forest Grove School District, where it has been shown to reduce substance use and other problems among students later in life. The program has been so successful that nearly 800 teachers in 51 schools have been trained to implement it. The program’s cost-effectiveness is notable, with Washington County estimating it saves $83 for every $1 spent.

Pearce encourages other parents to take action if they want to see better prevention programs in their kids’ schools. She advises them to connect with local health departments and get involved in school board meetings. Parents can also share evidence-based practices with teachers and advocate for the use of effective programs in schools.

In conclusion, while Oregon’s schools have struggled to implement consistent, research-backed substance use prevention programs, concerned parents and teachers are stepping up to fill the gap. With the support of grassroots efforts like Pam Pearce’s club and the advocacy of parents like Michele Stroh and the Epsteins, Oregon is beginning to take meaningful steps toward addressing the state’s growing drug crisis. However, more state-level coordination and support are needed to ensure that every district adopts effective, evidence-based programs to protect youth from the dangers of substance use.