Senator Marshall, Drug Czar Carter Host Kansas Roundtables on Drug Prevention & Combating Drug Crisis

Wichita - U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) and Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, or "Drug Czar," Sara Carter hosted two roundtables in Kansas focused on preventing drug use, strengthening community partnerships and combating the drug crisis. The discussions brought together education, prevention, community and law enforcement leaders to address the drug threats facing Kansas and identify ways to better protect communities.

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The first roundtable, held at Wichita Northwest High School, focused on youth drug prevention and the role schools, families, community organizations and law enforcement can play in keeping young people away from drugs. During the discussion, Carter and Marshall announced a new partnership between the Drug Free Communities Support (DFC) program and Wichita Northwest High School to develop the nation's first youth-to-youth primary prevention toolkit.

The toolkit will be led by students and guided by adults, giving young people a direct role in developing prevention strategies for their peers. The initiative will bring together Wichita Northwest High School, the DFC program and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) partners, with a goal of launching the toolkit at the start of the 2027-28 school year.

"We don't want the next generation to inherit the drug crisis we are fighting today. We need to empower young people to take this crisis on head-on because they know what their friends and classmates are facing," said Senator Marshall. "I appreciate Director Carter and ONDCP for putting young people at the center of this effort and giving them the tools to lead. It's great to see a Kansas school setting an example and empowering students to take ownership in this fight."

"The DFC program has been successful because it empowers local leaders- those who know their communities best- with federal resources to make a difference in the lives of countless young Americans. Among those leaders, and some of our most powerful advocates, are youth themselves,"said Drug Czar Sara Carter. "The students developing this toolkit know better than anyone the pressures their peers face, and how to best overcome them. I look forward to the release of their work."

"We are excited that students of our district were selected to help create this national toolkit, giving young people a voice in shaping youth engagement efforts nationwide," said Superintendent Kelly Bielefeld.

The second roundtable, held at the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department, focused on the law enforcement response to the drug crisis and brought together federal, state and local law enforcement leaders to discuss drug trafficking, strengthen coordination between agencies and address the threats facing Kansas communities.

Senator Marshall has made combating the drug crisis and protecting Kansas communities a priority. He has advocated for full funding of the Midwest HIDTA program, which supports law enforcement agencies across the region in disrupting drug trafficking. He also championed the Cooper Davis Act to address the online trafficking of counterfeit drugs and has pressed federal officials to take action against dangerous substances, including concentrated 7-OH.

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Contact: Payton Fuller