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