Starting in 2018, a partnership between state agencies and state higher education training and evaluation entities began to address the need for cannabis prevention education and training for professionals working with youth. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) collaborated with The Evaluation Center (TEC) at the University of Colorado Denver and the Rocky Mountain Public Health Training Center (RM-PHTC) at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus to assess, plan, deliver, and evaluate prevention education in prioritized rural communities. The project brought together professionals working with youth to understand how to connect with youth and adults about cannabis use prevention, focusing on communication strategies and language use.

Over the past seven years, the project team identified pilot communities for prevention education based on local level data, developed cannabis prevention education training and capacity building resources, and evaluated how these resources met community-identified needs. Montrose, Delta, Las Animas, and La Plata counties in Colorado were the pilot communities for this project. TEC used data-driven resource and needs assessment processes to more deeply understand the nuances of each community related to youth and cannabis.