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Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SAPT BG)

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (SAMHSA/CSAP) provides funding for DSAMH to implement substance abuse prevention services in the State of Delaware through the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SAPT BG) Prevention Set-a-Side. 

• State Substance Abuse Prevention Strategic Plan

DSAMH has been a recipient of the SAPT BG since the Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 1992. DSAMH utilizes the majority of these funds to support a statewide substance abuse treatment system that provides services such as detoxification, outpatient, and inpatient programs for the adult population. The SAPT BG also includes requirements related to prevention services (20% minimum prevention set-a-side).

DSAMH allocates a minimum of 20% of the total award each year to provide substance abuse prevention programs targeting youth and adults in Delaware.

SAMHSA/CSAP has developed six substance abuse prevention strategies which DSAMH implements through contracts developed with community organizations. DSAMH promotes a comprehensive approach for communities to use as many as all six strategies when implementing preventions services.

SAMHSA/CSAP’s prevention strategies are as follows:

• Information Dissemination
• Prevention Education
• Alternative Activities
• Community-based Processes
• Environmental Approaches
• Problem Identification and Referral
• Prevention Definitions and Strategies

SYNAR - Tobacco Prevention:

In 1992, Congress enacted legislation aimed at decreasing youth access to tobacco products. The legislation, known as the Synar Amendment, requires states to enact and enforce laws prohibiting any manufacturer, retailer, or distributor from selling or distributing tobacco products to individuals under 18. In addition to enacting and enforcing a law, states must implement annual random, unannounced compliance inspections to determine the tobacco products sold to youth under the age of 18.

If a state's buy rate exceeds 20%, it stands to lose 40% of its federal SAPT Block Grant funds. Over the past five years, Delaware has maintained a compliance rates below 5% and remain in compliance with the SYNAR Amendment.

The SYNAR Amendment is an annual reporting requirement aimed at reducing underage youth access to tobacco products. The SYNAR Amendment and process is one example of an environmental prevention strategy. Environmental strategies aim to decrease the social and health consequences of substance abuse by limiting access to substances and changing social norms that are accepting and permissive of substance abuse.