Pathways 2 Prevention

The "E" in DEA stands for enforcement, not education. So why does the nation's largest drug law enforcement agency have a team whose entire job is prevention?

Dave Closson sits down with Sean Fearns and Kevin Collins of DEA Community Outreach and Prevention Support to trace the answer back 40 years. It begins with the loss of DEA Special Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena in 1985, and with the high school students in his hometown of Calexico, California, who formed Camarena Clubs and pledged to live drug-free. Parents picked it up, it spread across the country, and it became Red Ribbon Week.

From there, the conversation turns to today: what Fentanyl Free America means, why falling overdose deaths don't mean the problem is solved, how counterfeit pills reach young people through their phones, and the free, science-based resources the DEA offers to anyone doing prevention work.

About the guestsSean Fearns is Chief of Community Outreach and Prevention Support at DEA headquarters. He has spent 27 years at the DEA engaging with the public, including building the DEA Museum, and has led the agency's community outreach and prevention support work for the past decade.

Kevin Collins is a Senior Prevention Program Manager at the DEA. Before joining the agency about two and a half years ago, he spent roughly 20 years with the Partnership to End Addiction. He also served as a civil affairs officer in the U.S. Army Reserve.One thing to do for Red Ribbon Week (October 23–31)+ Have a real conversation with a young person in your life. Ask what they're hearing, what they're worried about, and what's going well.

+ Ask your mayor, council, or sheriff to light a building, bridge, or water tower red for Go Red for Red Ribbon.

+ Take the free materials at dea.gov/redribbon and share them with your PTA, workplace, or neighbors.

Resources mentioned

• Red Ribbon Week (October 23–31): www.dea.gov/redribbon
• Fentanyl Free America: www.dea.gov/fentanylfree
• Operation Prevention (free curriculum, grades 3–12, English and Spanish): www.operationprevention.com
• Get Smart About Drugs (parents, caregivers, educators): www.getsmartaboutdrugs.com
• DEA publications library: www.getsmartaboutdrugs.com/resources
• Hidden on Your Kid's Phone: www.getsmartaboutdrugs.com/hidden
• Tools to Talk with Your Young Person about Anything: www.getsmartaboutdrugs.com/toolstotalk
• Just Think Twice (teens): www.justthinktwice.com
• Campus Drug Prevention (colleges and universities): www.campusdrugprevention.gov
• Together for Families: www.dea.gov/togetherforfamilies (add your organization: [email protected])
• Faces of Fentanyl Memorial Exhibit: www.dea.gov/facesoffentanyl
• Find your Community Outreach Specialist: www.getsmartaboutdrugs.gov/cos
• Treatment and support: FindTreatment.gov, or call or text 988

Pathways 2 Prevention is powered by the Drug Free America Foundation. Learn more at dfaf.org.

This episode is about how a tri-county partnership in Tampa Bay became the first inclusive recovery community in the nation.

Ashley Neal, a recovery advocate and community organizer who helped build the Inclusive Recovery Community Tampa Bay (IRCTB), walks through the whole arc: getting county governments to sign on, recruiting treatment centers and recovery organizations under one shared umbrella, and building a public events calendar that makes recovery visible instead of scattered.

Ashley has spent more than 20 years in recovery herself, and she's spent the last decade turning that experience into systems-level work across Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco Counties. Her story includes real setbacks (a hurricane that derailed the original plan, months of waiting on one county's buy-in) and the specific moves that finally broke things loose.

Listen for what an inclusive recovery community actually is (hint: not a program), how to get three different county governments to a yes, and why a shared calendar of recovery events matters more than it sounds like it should.

In This Episode

• Ashley's own 20-plus year recovery story, told with striking honesty about the years before she got help
• What an "inclusive recovery community" is and isn't, in plain language
• How Hurricane Helene derailed the original plan, and how the tri-county model came together instead
• The exact move that finally got Pinellas County to say yes after months of waiting
• Why IRCTB's public events calendar and window-cling awareness campaign are doing more work than they look like they are

Links

• https://irctampabay.com/
• https://www.dfaf.org
• https://whenyouknow.org/

What happens when an emergency physician who spent years on the front lines of the overdose crisis gets to help write national drug policy? In this episode, Dave Closson sits down with Dr. Roneet Lev, chief medical officer at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, to unpack the 2026 National Drug Control Strategy and what it means for the people doing prevention work on the ground.

Dr. Lev shaped the public health side of the strategy, and she brings both the data and the heart behind it. The conversation moves from her own path into addiction medicine to the choices that make this document different from the ones before it: clearer language around primary prevention, a first-ever place for faith, a new push for real-time drug threat data, and a treatment-first approach to the hardest populations.

If you lead a coalition, work in prevention, treatment, or recovery, or simply care about your community, you will hear your work named and championed at the highest level. Come for the policy. Stay for the reminder that no one is a lost cause.

Guest Bio:

Dr. Roneet Lev is the chief medical officer at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. A board-certified emergency physician and addiction medicine specialist, she spent years leading community overdose response in San Diego before helping shape the public health side of the 2026 National Drug Control Strategy. Parents who lost children to addiction remain her moral compass.

Drug Free America Foundation Links:

- Website

- Facebook

- Instagram

- YouTube

- Twitter

Episode Links:

• Office of National Drug Control Policy
• 2026 National Drug Control Strategy

Two countries, two youth workers, one shared conviction: resilience isn't a luxury, it's a practice anyone can learn.

This is a special multicast episode, recorded alongside our partners at the Unnecessary Harm podcast, built around this year's World Resiliency Week theme, "The Pulse of Resilience: Fall, Feel, Rise." Host Shane Varkow sits down with Adam Woods, coordinator of the Hope Tour in Australia, and Sneha Patiyathal, a youth prevention specialist in Kerala, India, and one of this year's World Resiliency Day global ambassadors.

Adam and Sneha are two of the architects behind this year's global campaign, and they bring the view from the ground: what it actually looks like to walk alongside young people in two very different cultural contexts. They talk about the contagions unraveling kids in their communities, the quiet damage of absent parents, and the moment a young person hears "you matter" for the first time.

If you work with young people, lead a coalition, or just want to understand what real resilience-building looks like outside a policy paper, this one will stay with you.

Guest Bios

Adam Woods coordinates the Hope Tour in Australia and is part of the Acts Global Church Network, a community organization helping people rebuild their lives with hope and reasonable grounds for it. He's one of the architects behind this year's World Resiliency Week campaign.

Sneha Patiyathal is a youth prevention specialist and credentialed catalyst at the Fourth Wave Foundation in India. She has represented her organization at the United Nations in Vienna and the Asian Youth Forum on Drug Use Prevention, and serves as one of eight World Resiliency Day global ambassadors.

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• https://feeltherise.org/

This special multicast episode was originally recorded with our partners at the Dalgarno Institute and their podcast, Unnecessary Harm. As part of our ongoing collaboration around World Resiliency Week, we are excited to share this conversation with the Pathways to Prevention audience.

Host Shane Varcoe sits down with World Resiliency Week planning team members Dave Closson and Jen Schneeman to explore the 2026 campaign theme - The Pulse of Resilience: Fall, Feel, Rise.

Together, they unpack a powerful question: What if resilience isn't about pushing through, toughing it out, or simply "embracing the suck"?

Drawing on lived experience, trauma recovery, prevention science, military service, nervous system research, and community-building, this conversation explores resilience as a rhythm rather than a destination. Dave and Jen share practical insights on burnout, healing, youth wellbeing, substance use prevention, and the importance of creating space for both struggle and growth.

The result is a hopeful and deeply human conversation about how individuals and communities can develop the awareness, tools, and support systems needed to navigate adversity and emerge stronger.

About World Resiliency Week

World Resiliency Week is a global collaborative initiative bringing together prevention professionals, educators, researchers, community leaders, advocates, and lived-experience voices to strengthen resilience across individuals, families, and communities.

The 2026 theme, The Pulse of Resilience: Fall, Feel, Rise, focuses on helping people recognize life's inevitable challenges, develop healthy ways to process them, and build the capacity to rise with greater awareness, connection, and strength.

Get involved at: ⁠https://worldresiliencyweek.org/

College drinking is often treated like an individual choice problem — “students just need to make better decisions.”

In this episode, we zoom out and look at the bigger lever: culture and environment. Host Dave Closson is joined by Kate Lower (SHIFT, University of Texas at Austin) and Keyra Palacios (UT Austin student & SHIFT Maker) for a practical conversation about what prevention looks like when you center student experience, take environmental strategies seriously, and bring a harm reduction mindset into real campus life.

You’ll hear:

• What SHIFT is (in plain language) — and why culture change beats slogans
• How campus and “game day” environments shape norms and expectations
• Why “preventable measures” matter — and what they look like on the ground
• Keyra’s perspective as an economics major (not a public health major) doing prevention work
• A real-world story that captures the SHIFT mindset: bringing a first-aid kit to a party
• Why health communication is hard — especially when students and powerful stakeholders have competing incentives
• Takeaways for prevention leaders, campuses, and studentsVisit: https://shift.utexas.edu/

Most people in prevention care deeply… that’s not the issue. The issue is that some of the most common prevention approaches can quietly miss the mark… and sometimes even backfire.

In this episode of Pathways 2 Prevention, Dave Closson sits down with Matej (UTRIP), author of Prevention Gone Wrong: The Do’s, Don’ts, and the Common-Sense Lessons in Drug Prevention, to unpack why “good intentions” aren’t enough — and how to course‑correct without shaming the field.

Episode Links:

• UNODC International Standards on Drug Use Prevention (PDF): https://www.unodc.org/documents/prevention/standards_180412.pdf
• Book: Prevention Gone Wrong: The Do’s, Don’ts, and the Common-Sense Lessons in Drug Prevention

Drug Free America Foundation:

• Website: https://www.dfaf.org/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrugFreeAmericaFndn/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drugfreeamericafoundation/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg9f7kHutH1xAFO_ZIRPmrg
• X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/drugfreeamerica

In this episode of Pathways to Prevention, we explore prevention leadership from a different angle — lived experience that doesn’t come from a degree program, but from doing the work, showing up, and growing through real-world practice.

Dave sits down with Emily Parsons, Assistant Director of Health Promotion at the University of Tampa, to talk about her journey from student peer educator to campus prevention leader. Together, they unpack imposter syndrome, non-traditional career paths, mentorship, creativity in prevention work, and why experience and passion often matter just as much as credentials.

This conversation is especially meaningful for anyone who has ever looked at a job description and thought, “I’m not sure I fit that box” — yet continues to lead, serve, and make an impact anyway.

You’ll hear practical insights on developing student leaders, supervising with curiosity, building confidence, and creating meaningful prevention programming in higher education settings.

Key themes in this episode include:

• Prevention careers that start outside public health degrees

• Mentorship and being seen for your potential

• Leading with curiosity instead of having all the answers

• Turning imposter syndrome into growth

• Why creativity and connection drive student engagement

• Supporting staff and students through development conversations

• Letting experience — not just credentials — shape leadership

If you work in prevention, higher education, student wellness, or coalition leadership, this episode offers practical encouragement and grounded wisdom you can apply right away.

Subscribe and share with a colleague who is growing into their leadership voice.

Learn more and explore resources at dfaf.org

Drug Free America Foundation Links:

• Website
• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube

When we talk about prevention, most people think about youth programs, policy change, or school-based education. But prevention also starts in a hospital room, in a living room at 3 a.m. when a parent wonders, “Is this normal?”, and in the quiet after pregnancy or infant loss when families are left to figure out what comes next—often alone.

In this episode of Pathways 2 Prevention, Dave sits down with Mai (Maiye) Waller, founder and executive director of the Mace Anthony Williamson Foundation and leader of The Doula Project Resource. Out of the preventable loss of her son, Mace Anthony, Mai chose to become the resource she always wished existed for other families.

Together, they explore how community-based doulas, grief-informed care, and culturally grounded support before, during, and after pregnancy are powerful forms of substance use prevention, mental health promotion, and family strengthening.

In this episode, we cover:

• Mai’s journey from grieving mom to founder and executive director of a national nonprofit

• What a doula really is (and is not)

• How The Doula Project supports families before, during, and long after birth

• Why a 3 a.m. “Is this normal?” text is prevention work

• How grief, trauma, racism, and isolation increase risk for substance use and mental health challenges

• The role of culturally grounded, community-based doulas in reducing maternal and infant health inequities

• What “good collaboration” with lived experience leaders should actually look like

• Concrete ways prevention coalitions and maternal health advocates can lock arms in the next 2–3 years

Who this episode is for:

• Prevention coalition members and state leaders

• Maternal and child health practitioners

• Doulas, nurses, social workers, and peer specialists

• Anyone who has experienced pregnancy or infant loss or walks alongside those who have

Connect with The Mace Anthony Williamson Foundation:

Website: https://www.themawfoundation.org/

National Prevention Summit 2026

Drug Free America Foundation Links:

• Website

• Facebook

• Instagram

• YouTube

• Twitter

If this conversation resonates, share it with a colleague in prevention, maternal health, or public health—and invite a doula to your next coalition meeting.

In this episode of Pathways to Prevention, host Dave Closson spotlights a powerful youth-led global effort: the Youth Declaration on Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery.

What began as a spark at a CND side event in Vienna grew into a global core youth group, a multi-country survey, and a declaration that centers one clear message: nothing about us without us.

Dave is joined by youth leaders and organizers from across the world, including Cressida (World Federation Against Drugs), Sana, Fuhaira, and Muhammad (Pakistan Youth Organization). Together, they unpack how this declaration came to life, what they learned from youth in 60+ countries, and why meaningful youth participation must be treated as a design principle—not a box to tick.

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If you are a youth leader or work with youth-serving organizations, this episode is your invitation to:

1. Read the Youth Declaration and its full report to see where your current work already aligns with the six recommendations.
2. Share your story: If you’re already taking action that reflects the declaration—programs, policies, campaigns, or peer-led initiatives—send your activities and outcomes to [email protected] for possible inclusion in an upcoming global youth declaration web magazine.
3. Create real seats at the table: In your organization, community, or network, ask where youth are currently informed versus where they are truly involved in decision-making.

Resources Mentioned

• Youth Declaration on Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery – full text and data report
• World Federation Against Drugs (WFAD) – declaration partners and hosts of the global youth web magazine
• Pakistan Youth Organization – a youth-focused organization that helped conceptualize and drive the declaration