Welcome

Citizens Against Substance Abuse (CASA) is a non-profit substance abuse prevention agency based in Flagstaff, Arizona. CASA achieves it goal of prevention and reducing substance abuse through:

  • Education and awareness
  • Drug-free alternative activities
  • Partnerships with local citizens and agencies

To accomplish these objectives, CASA provides a number of continuing services which are funded through the United Way, The City of Flagstaff, support from community partners, and individual contributions. CASA also partners with local law enforcement agencies, Flagstaff Unified School District, Northern Arizona University Athletic Department, the Flagstaff Mall and other local businesses to provide alternative drug and violence free activities. Some of these activities and other ongoing activities/events are listed below.

CASA organizes and facilitates The Challenge at the three local public high schools. The Challenge is a DUI prevention and awareness presentation given to juniors and seniors prior to prom and graduation, both identified as high-risk times for underage drinking. Challenge presenters include paramedics/ER nurses, law enforcement officers, a judge, insurance agents, and personal testimonies by individuals affected by DUI accidents.

CASA also participates in the Coconino County Fair, Flagstaff Home & Garden Show, Red Ribbon Week, National Night Out, Celebrate Youth day, local health fairs and other events.

Please check the calendar to view upcoming CASA events!

 

What Parents Should Know About Prescription Drug Use

Contrary to popular belief, abuse of prescription drugs is no less serious than the use of illegal street drugs. In fact, teens abusing prescription drugs are more likely to become victims of violence, drug addiction and HIV/AIDS because they are less on guard and unaware of how deadly prescription medication can be. Most importantly, drugs used for non-medical reasons alter brain activity, and in a very short period of time will lead to dependence and addiction. So the earlier you get involved, the better. The Canyon is here to assist adolescents in their recovery from every level of drug dependency,

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Prescription drug abuse abetted by family, friends: study

A pharmacy employee deposits pills into a bottle as she works to fill a prescription while working at a pharmacy in New York

The study, based on an ongoing national survey of nearly 70,000 Americans aged 12 and over, offers a snapshot of a growing health and safety problem that is already responsible for more fatal overdoses than cocaine and heroin, combined, and has begun to spawn other crimes including gang violence. “This is one of the greatest drug threats we have ever faced,” Michele Leonhart, who heads the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, told reporters as the study was released. An estimated 7 million Americans abuse pharmaceutical drugs. Prescription drugs account for about 75 percent of all drug-related U.S. overdose deaths, according to

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Hand Sanitizer Used by Teens To Get Drunk: Dangerous Teen Trends

As many as six California teenagers were hospitalized with alcohol poisoning last month, and two last weekend alone, from drinking hand sanitizer. Coming on the heels of cough medicine, hand sanitizer is the latest in a string of household products used to induce intoxication, and it has public health officials worried, as a few squirts of hand sanitizer could equal a couple of shots of hard liquor. “This is a rapidly emerging trend,” Dr. Cyrus Rangan, medical toxicology consultant for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, said in a news conference today. About 2,600 cases have been reported in California since 2010,

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Partners