Communities of Practice

Welcome to the Get Smart About Drugs Communities of Practice portal.

This section of the Get Smart About Drugs website provides resources and information on drug awareness and prevention that is tailored to organizations, community coalitions, and local support groups.

The Communities of Practice section includes an online Train the Trainer module and four PowerPoint presentations. 

Train the Trainer Online Module:

  • Train the Trainer Online Module. Are you a volunteer health care professional, law enforcement official, or counselor interested in presenting DEA’s Get Smart About Drugs presentations to parents, teachers, administrators, and counselors?
  • To help give volunteer trainers the information and skills you need to effectively deliver the presentations, DEA has produced a 60-minute self-paced online Train the Trainer module.
  • The module includes interactive learning exercises and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
  • Topics covered by this online module include: characteristics of adult learners, effective presentation skills, and tips for delivering DEA’s Get Smart About Drugs presentations.

PowerPoint Presentations:

Created in an easy-to-use and familiar format, there are four 30-minute presentations available:

  • Signs of Illicit Drug Use and Abuse. This presentation will help parents learn how to identify the signs of drug abuse, understand the consequences of drug abuse, and develop strategies for talking to their children about drugs.
  • Prescription for Disaster: How Teens Abuse Medicine. This presentation will help parents understand the prevalence and dangers of prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse among teenagers, identify the current medications teens are abusing to get high, and identify resources they can use to help keep teens drug free.
  • Hidden Dangers in Your Home. This presentation will help parents identify the types of products that could put their kids at risk, recognize the dangers of the Internet and how the Internet impacts drug use and abuse, and learn strategies for safeguarding their homes. 
  • Meth 101. This presentation provides information on methamphetamine, or “meth.” Meth is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant drug that can have many harmful side effects and could lead to death. It is most widely-abused, domestically-produced synthetic drug in the United States.
  • An Introduction to Marijuana.  This presentation provides information about marijuana, one of the most commonly used drugs by teens.  This presentation will help parents learn about the effects and consequences of marijuana use, understand the signs that teens may be using marijuana, and develop strategies for talking to their children about marijuana use.
  • Synthetic Drugs: K2/Spice and Bath Salts. This presentation provides information about the synthetic drugs K2/Spice and Bath Salts.  The presentation will help parents learn about the drugs' effects and consequences, understand the signs that teens may be using these drugs, and develop strategies for talking to their children about drugs.