Substance abuse programs are facing stricter research requirements for funding.

ISU researcher Jerry Stubben was awarded a federal grant from the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention to conduct a scientific study of effectiveness on Rock In Prevention, a Des Moines-based non-profit program.

“It’s a peer-reviewed evaluation of Rock In Prevention and Rock In Prevention Plus,” Stubben said. “In order to get a promising or model program, they must complete a scientific study.”

The study monitors curriculum development and performs a pretest, posttest and a six month to one year follow-up survey in a total of 16 schools to study effectiveness, Stubben said. His study is not scheduled to be completed until September.

“We have released pre and post test data and that looks positive, but we can’t release data follow-up until it is certified by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention,” Stubben said. “Right now Rock In Prevention Plus is number one and Rock In Prevention is number two based on effectiveness.”

Lori Solo, member of the Rock In Prevention Board of Directors, said from the beginning of their program, Rock In Prevention has been cited as being ahead of its time.

“Rock In Prevention has been selected by the federal government as among the most promising in the nation,” she said. “Most non-profits would never have the funding for the level of research to becoming a promising best practices program.”

Solo said usually the Department of Education picks the most promising program to create a model and has other programs follow that program.

“None of the other programs used in Iowa were developed in Iowa,” Stubben said. “They have been adapted and changed but not formed here. Rock In Prevention is the only one from here.”

Stubben said he believes every substance abuse program should be evaluated using scientific evaluations.

“Scientists should be evaluating everything that affects Iowa citizens. Medical doctors wouldn’t use anything that wasn’t scientifically proven,” he said. “Every program in Iowa should be evaluated. None of the Iowa Department of Education programs are being evaluated at the level Rock In Prevention is. I’ve been approached by DARE to help develop their program. Character Counts needs to be evaluated. I want much higher levels of scientific research of the programs.”

Denise Denton, prevention specialist for Youth and Shelter Services Inc., said their education programs in schools are science or evidence-based programs that have already been evaluated for validity and are considered model programs.

Denton said they also have a class, called SAG, for first time offenders who have gone through juvenile court. The program is three evenings for about three hours each night and then staff check up on participants every two years to see how many have come through again on another offense, she said.

“SAG isn’t science-based but is evidence-based because over time we have seen results and we have data to back us up on that. The program has been in effect for 17 years,” Denton said. “Only 10 percent of kids have any kind of connection with juvenile court after that. We won’t fix this program because it’s not broken.”

Stubben said although Iowa has hundreds of substance abuse programs, he believes they are not having enough impact.

“If you raided any bar in Ames on a Saturday night you’d find something in someone’s pocket,” he said.

“Drug dealers are smarter than we are because their business is growing. They are highly intelligent people probably making $500,000 to $600,000 a year. It’s very hard to track cash.”

Denton said prevention is never stagnate, it’s ongoing and always in motion trying to create sustainability.

“We need to get in at an earlier age, third graders now know all about drugs,” he said.

“We want to reduce the number of at-risk kids. Other programs aren’t doing it, the number of at-risk kids is increasing. I pray every day less and less of them get involved in drugs, it ruins your life.”