About the Initiative

The Facts. Your Future. initiative is reinventing the way substance abuse prevention is taught in our schools. It’s not “Just Say No” — it’s “Just Say No and Here’s Why.”

The initiative:

The state of Florida is focusing on supporting students to ensure they receive prevention resources and helpful encouragement to protect and maintain their health, avoid substance misuse, and discourage risky behaviors so they can thrive and flourish. The youth is our future!

This initiative is an interactive and engaging approach to ensure our next generation is informed about the risks and challenges they may face. Our hope is to empower them to make safe choices that reinforce their future successes.

“As Florida’s first lady, and more importantly, as a mom, I am committed to partnering with you to educate our teens about the risks of drugs and alcohol. Together we can protect Florida’s teens and keep Florida’s families from experiencing the heartache of losing a child to substance use.”

– Casey DeSantis – Florida’s First Lady

The Facts. Your Future. includes:

School Curriculum

The substance use prevention curriculum is designed to assist faculty and administrators as they navigate The Facts. Your Future. facts-based lessons with their students.

The activities outlined are designed to communicate information about substance use and how it can affect teens, families, and their communities.

These activities may be used to meet the mental health and substance abuse requirement (Rule 6A-1.094124, Florida Administrative Code, Required Instruction Planning and Reporting) that requires school districts to provide instruction to students in grades K-12 related to youth substance use and abuse health education.

Website Resources

This website provides resources to encourage candid conversations between parents/caregivers and their teens by equipping them with information to guide healthy discussions.

Learn the real facts about fentanyl, alcohol, marijuana, vaping, and prescription drugs and how using them may cost teens more than they realize.

Explore additional resources that can help teens on their journey to remain drug free and support others.

The stakes are high – because teens in Florida, and throughout the U.S., are suffering from mental health challenges that contribute to substance abuse.