Substance Use Prevention Education

School districts are required to provide age-appropriate instruction in the effects of substances, including tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs, as an integral part of the district's K–12 comprehensive health education program as per OAR 581-022-2045.

This page includes instructional materials to help districts meet this requirement including:

Annually required Opioid Prevention Lessons in grades 6, 7, 8, and once in high school
Optional K-12 Substance Use Prevention Lessons that can be integrated into a comprehensive substance use prevention unit

For additional support regarding these resources, email the Substance Use Prevention Education Coordinator at ode.substance-prevention@ode.oregon.gov.

Health Standards

The Oregon 2023 Health Standards include Substance Use, Misuse, and Abuse (SUB) as one of eight topic areas addressed across the K-12 grade level standards. The Substance Use, Misuse, and Abuse (SUB) standards outline the knowledge and skills students need to make decisions when faced with the pressures of using, misusing and abusing alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and other substances, including over-the-counter and prescription drugs; analyze media messages and other influences; how to cope in stressful situations; how to set goals; and how to access community resources for assistance and to prevent and respond to overdose emergencies.

Additional information about Oregon Health Standards and Instructional Materials can be found on the ODE Health Education Webpage.

Instructional Resources

Beginning in the 2024-25 school year, all Oregon school districts, and public charter schools are required to implement one of the ODE Synthetic Opioid Prevention Lessons at each grade level (grade 6, 7, 8 and at least once in high school) as per OAR 581-022-2045.

The SB 238 (2023) lessons have been updated for the 2025-2026 school year. We have a tracking document of all the opioid lesson plan revisions, if you would like to see what has been revised.