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Substance use prevention that works. Talk to Our Team

CALIFORNIA COMPLIANCE AND FUNDING

Supporting California’s substance use prevention requirements

AB 2429 and Proposition 64 are opening new funding and instructional requirements for California schools and communities. IMPACT was built to meet both.

Supports compliance with California AB 2429 and Prop 64, and state and federal prevention funding requirements

FENTANYL EDUCATION REQUIREMENT

AB 2429

Signed into law in 2024, AB 2429 requires school districts and charter schools that mandate a health education course for graduation to include instruction on the dangers of fentanyl, beginning in the 2026–27 school year. Instruction must align with California’s Health Education Framework and cover:

  • What fentanyl is and the risks associated with fentanyl use
  • How fentanyl is commonly mixed into other drugs without a user’s knowledge
  • How to locate and use fentanyl test strips and naloxone to help prevent overdose deaths

The law responds to the growing fentanyl crisis and rising overdose deaths among adolescents and young adults, recognizing education as one of the most effective tools for preventing substance-related harm before it occurs.

PREVENTION GRANT FUNDING

Proposition 64

In June 2026, Governor Newsom announced $227 million in Proposition 64 Public Health and Safety Grant funding to support local governments and community organizations addressing the public health and safety impacts of cannabis legalization. This funding helps communities:

  • Prevent youth substance use
  • Expand public health education and prevention campaigns
  • Strengthen prevention and early intervention services
  • Support local public safety and community health efforts
  • Address the impacts of illicit cannabis activity
  • Promote healthy youth development and safer communities

THE IMPACT SOLUTION

How IMPACT supports both

IMPACT Substance Use Prevention courses were designed to support exactly the prevention goals outlined in AB 2429 and funded through Proposition 64 initiatives:

  1. Evidence-informed, interactive prevention education aligned with current research and public health best practices, covering alcohol, cannabis, and opioids/fentanyl
  2. Online, self-paced delivery that makes implementation accessible for schools and community organizations with varying staffing and resources
  3. Dedicated instruction on fentanyl, overdose prevention, naloxone, and the risks of counterfeit pills and drug contamination
  4. Interactive, age-appropriate lessons that build protective factors, refusal skills, and informed decision-making
  5. Confidential pre- and post-course surveys that help schools and communities measure outcomes and demonstrate impact

From initial planning through implementation and evaluation, our team works alongside local education agencies, counties, prevention coalitions, and community organizations, providing implementation planning, administrator onboarding and training, communication resources, and confidential outcome reporting. Because courses are delivered online and self-paced, they fit classrooms, alternative education programs, after-school programs, diversion programs, and community-based initiatives alike.

PROVEN IN CALIFORNIA

Already working in Sonoma County

Sonoma County’s Department of Health Services launched IMPACT countywide in 2022 as universal Tier 1 prevention — delivered to every middle and high school student, not held in reserve for those already showing risk. DHS tracks youth health trends through the California Healthy Kids Survey and uses IMPACT’s own pre- and post-course surveys to see where students actually stand.

When Panaptic launched new Alcohol and Opioids/Fentanyl courses in 2025, DHS brought both to Sonoma County schools right away. Last year’s results:

SONOMA COUNTY RESULTS, LAST YEAR

231%+

LICENSE GROWTH

More IMPACT licenses in use across the county between 2022-2026

58%+

PEER SUPPORT

Rise in student confidence helping a friend struggling with substance use

54%

BRAIN SCIENCE

Increase in understanding of how marijuana and alcohol affect brain development

50%

OVERDOSE RESPONSE

Rise in confidence using fentanyl test strips and Narcan to help a friend

More than 80% of Sonoma County students rated IMPACT as at least “helpful” for understanding how these substances affect their mental health, wellness, academic performance, and brain function.

Funded prevention

AB 2429 and Proposition 64 funding streams can be applied directly toward implementing IMPACT, so most partners are able to bring the program on board without adding new line items to their budget. Our team can help identify which funding sources apply to your organization during onboarding.

Setup time

Once a partnership agreement is in place, IMPACT can be up and running in as little as two weeks, with our team handling administrator onboarding and training along the way.

Our vision in a nutshell is for evidence-informed investments upstream to have downstream results that reverberate in the community for years to come.

Will Gayowski

Substance Use Disorders and Recovery Services Section Manager, Sonoma County Department of Health Services

An invaluable asset to our district. Marshall points to the excellent results in students’ shifted perspectives and high overall satisfaction with the program.

Matt Marshall, M.Ed.

Retired Director of Student Services, Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District

Schools don’t have to create anything to launch IMPACT. All the resources are in the toolkit. Some school staff think they will have to create their own materials and are visibly relieved when they learn that these already exist.

Peg Enslen

Prevention Specialist, Delaware Department of Education

SUCCESS STORIES

Prevention that works, in practice

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SONOMA COUNTY DHS, CALIFORNIA

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How Sonoma County built a proactive, countywide prevention strategy

Sonoma County’s Department of Health Services invested upstream — choosing one curriculum that could reach middle and high schoolers consistently across the county’s many districts, with Family and Educator courses (including Spanish translation) to reinforce the learning at home. Since launching in 2022, schools have kept asking for more.

COMPARISON FOR IMPACT’S EFFECTS vs BENCHMARK FOR ATTITUDE CHANGE

Size of the shift in student attitudes and understanding across two measures, compared to the average effect found in decades of attitude-change research.

231%

Growth in IMPACT licenses across the county, 2023–2025

5.8x

Rise in student confidence helping a friend struggling with substance use

5x

Rise in confidence using fentanyl test strips and Narcan to help a friend

Our vision in a nutshell is for evidence-informed investments upstream to have downstream results that reverberate in the community for years to come.

Will Gayowski, Substance Use Disorders and Recovery Services Section Manager, Sonoma County DHS

Read the full success story

DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

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How Delaware strengthens statewide prevention through its SUPI program

Over the past decade, the share of Delaware 11th graders who recognize the risk of marijuana use fell 30%, and recognition of binge-drinking risk fell 24%. The Department of Education recommends IMPACT through its Substance Use Prevention & Intervention program — for class-wide Tier 1 prevention as well as Tier 2 and 3 intervention, Code of Conduct responses, and alternatives to suspension.

COMPARISON FOR IMPACT’S EFFECTS vs BENCHMARK FOR ATTITUDE CHANGE

Size of the shift in student attitudes and understanding across two measures, compared to the average effect found in decades of attitude-change research.

4.3x

Shift in student beliefs about the addictive potential of marijuana — and the same shift for alcohol

3.5x

Shift in student beliefs about the addictive potential of opioids and fentanyl

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Courses rated “very helpful” by students — Marijuana, Alcohol, Opioids/Fentanyl

The schools’ annual IMPACT data is a great resource. It makes me feel so much better seeing the results. The fact that Panaptic can put this data together for us is absolutely huge.

Peg Enslen, Prevention Specialist, Delaware Department of Education

Read the full success story

TWO PLACES, ONE MISSION

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A county and a state arrived at the same answer, independently

Sonoma County delivers universal Tier 1 prevention countywide; Delaware offers targeted Tier 2 and 3 intervention to students already identified as at risk. Different institutions, different scales, opposite sides of the country — and the same conclusion. From 2018 to 2026, researchers tracked cannabis attitudes among 3,946 middle and high schoolers against the benchmark for meaningful prevention outcomes.

COMPARISON FOR IMPACT’S EFFECTS vs BENCHMARK FOR ATTITUDE CHANGE

Size of the shift in student attitudes and understanding across two measures, compared to the average effect found in decades of attitude-change research.

6.5x

The benchmark for perceived addictive potential of cannabis

6.4x

The benchmark for confidence understanding cannabis and brain development

4.3x / 3.5x

The benchmark for perceived addictive potential of alcohol, and of opioids/fentanyl

Wherever prevention meets students where they already are, with real information delivered well, it works.

From the Panaptic success story “Two Places, One Mission”

Read the full success story

Frequently asked questions

Does IMPACT satisfy the AB 2429 instructional requirement?

IMPACT includes dedicated instruction on fentanyl — what it is, the risks of use, how it is mixed into other drugs, and how to locate and use test strips and naloxone — aligned with California’s Health Education Framework, so it maps directly to what AB 2429 requires beginning in 2026–27.

Can Proposition 64 grant funding cover the cost of IMPACT?

Yes. Prop 64 Public Health and Safety Grant funding is intended for youth substance use prevention, education, and early intervention, and can be applied toward implementing IMPACT. Our team helps identify which funding sources apply to your organization during onboarding.

How long does it take to launch IMPACT?

Once a partnership agreement is in place, IMPACT can be up and running in as little as two weeks. Our team handles administrator onboarding and training along the way.

Is IMPACT already being used in California?

Yes. Sonoma County’s Department of Health Services launched IMPACT countywide in 2022 as universal Tier 1 prevention. Between 2023 and 2025 the number of licenses in use across the county grew by 231.4%, and DHS adopted the new Alcohol and Opioids/Fentanyl courses as soon as they launched in 2025.

Who is IMPACT designed for?

School districts, charter schools, county agencies, prevention coalitions, and community organizations. Because courses are online and self-paced, they fit classrooms, alternative education, after-school and diversion programs, and community-based initiatives alike.

Ready to bring IMPACT to your community?

We’ll walk through compliance requirements, funding options, and a launch timeline that fits your calendar.

Talk to our team