Long Beach Health Department Awarded Grant to Expand Drug-impaired Driving Prevention Program

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PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA - The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) has been awarded a $310,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to educate the community about responsible cannabis use and reduce drug-impaired driving related collisions.

This grant strengthens our ongoing efforts to make Long Beach's streets safer for everyone," said Mayor Rex Richardson. "Cannabis may be legal, but driving under the influence is not. Staying informed is essential to keeping our community safe"

The Health Department's GreenlightLB Program will utilize grant funds to educate the community on the dangers of drug-impaired driving and encourage safer choices, including responsible driving behaviors. The grant will support various initiatives from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025, including:

• DUI-Drug prevention workshops, educating high school and college students about the risks of impaired driving and promoting alternative transportation.
• Community partnerships to advance health equity through bilingual and culturally relevant workshops on drug-impaired traffic safety.
• An e-scooter and e-bike safety campaign reminding users that riding under the influence is unsafe and illegal.
• A peer-led youth program empowering young people to advocate for traffic safety.
• Collaborations with cannabis dispensaries to educate consumers on responsible use and the risks associated with cannabis-impaired driving.
• Enhanced awareness of drug-impaired driving through print and digital media, including coordination of Long Beach Safe Streets Awareness Week.
• DUI demonstrations to show the real-life effects of impairment on driving abilities.

"Protecting public health is central to our mission," said Health Department Director Alison King. "This grant allows us to implement evidence-based strategies that address the serious risks of drug-impaired driving, raise awareness and promote safer choices."

Last year, the program reached 4,000 community members via:

• 30 drug-impaired driving community presentations and youth-focused workshops.
• 35 educational outreach tables and pop-ups to promote safer driving.
• The graduation of 12 students from across five Long Beach schools for the Safe Streets Ambassador program.
• Co-hosting the fifth annual Long Beach Safe Streets Awareness week.
• Conducting the annual city-wide cannabis and health assessment.

"Getting in a vehicle remains one of the most dangerous things we do," said California Office of Traffic Safety Director Barbara Rooney. "We must continue to work with our partners to shift that realization and make traveling on our roads safer."

This is the eighth year the Health Department has received an OTS grant to continue its drug-impaired driving prevention efforts. The activities funded by this grant are in line with the Health Department's Strategic Plan goals: to further develop a comprehensive approach to encourage responsible cannabis use and increase awareness about how mind-altering drugs, including those prescribed for medical purposes, can impair drivers; and partner with non-profit organizations that have expertise in reaching the Cambodian community with services and information. GreenlightLB's program activities also help to advance goals identified in the City's Safe Streets Action Plan to eliminate traffic-related deaths and serious injuries by 2026.

About the City of Long Beach
Long Beach is nestled along the Southern California coast and home to approximately 466,000 people. As an award-winning full-service charter city, Long Beach offers the amenities of a metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods, culture, and community. With a bustling downtown and over six miles of scenic beaches, Long Beach is a renowned tourist and business destination and home to the iconic Queen Mary, nationally recognized Aquarium of the Pacific and Long Beach Airport, the award-winning Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and world-class Port of Long Beach.

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube. More information about the Long Beach Health Department is available at longbeach.gov/health and on Instagram, Facebook and X.

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