Project TND: A School Program That Consistently Reduced Hard Drug Use Across Seven Trials
Across seven randomized controlled trials, Project Towards No Drug Abuse consistently reduced hard drug use, with effects on alcohol in four trials, and on cigarettes and marijuana in two to three trials.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Project TND (Towards No Drug Abuse) was evaluated across seven group-randomized controlled trials. In all seven trials, a significant effect was found on hard drug use. The program also showed effects on alcohol use in four trials, and on cigarette and marijuana use in two trials (with a possible third trial showing marijuana effects).
Earlier trials also found effects on violence-related behavior, though this outcome was not assessed in later trials. The consistency of hard drug use effects across seven independent replications is noteworthy for a school-based prevention program.
The authors note that the effects within each trial were statistically significant, with no more than a 10% chance of being obtained by chance alone (two-tailed testing).
Key Numbers
7 group-randomized controlled trials. Effects on hard drug use: 7/7 trials. Effects on alcohol: 4/7 trials. Effects on cigarettes: 2/7 trials. Effects on marijuana: 2-3/7 trials.
How They Did This
This is a commentary reviewing the accumulated evidence from seven group-randomized controlled trials of Project TND. The review examines the consistency of effects across replications for different substance use outcomes.
Why This Research Matters
Most school-based prevention programs have limited evidence of effectiveness, and few have been replicated in multiple independent trials. The consistent hard drug use reduction across seven trials provides unusually strong evidence that this particular program works.
The Bigger Picture
The prevention field is littered with programs that showed promise in one trial but failed to replicate. Project TND's consistent replication across seven trials makes it one of the more robustly supported school-based prevention programs, particularly for hard drug use. The weaker effects on marijuana and cigarettes suggest these behaviors may be harder to prevent through school-based interventions.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
The commentary format does not provide detailed methodology or effect sizes from each trial. The program effects on marijuana and cigarettes were inconsistent across trials. The author is the program developer, creating potential bias. Violence-related outcomes were not assessed in later trials, so the durability of those effects is unknown.
Questions This Raises
- ?Why does Project TND more consistently affect hard drug use than marijuana use?
- ?Would the program be effective in different cultural or international contexts?
- ?What are the active ingredients that drive the program's success?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Hard drug use reduced in all 7 randomized controlled trials
- Evidence Grade:
- The evidence base of 7 replicated randomized trials is unusually strong for a prevention program, providing robust evidence for hard drug use effects.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2014. Project TND remains on multiple evidence-based program registries.
- Original Title:
- Commentary--Project Towards No Drug Abuse: an evidence-based drug abuse prevention program.
- Published In:
- The journal of primary prevention, 35(4), 233-7 (2014)
- Authors:
- Sussman, Steve(4), Valente, Thomas W, Rohrbach, Louise A(2), Dent, Clyde W, Sun, Ping
- Database ID:
- RTHC-00873
Evidence Hierarchy
Summarizes existing research on a topic.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
What is Project Towards No Drug Abuse?
It is a school-based prevention program designed for high school students at risk for substance use. It uses interactive classroom sessions covering motivation, skills, and decision-making to reduce drug use and related behaviors.
Why does it work better for hard drugs than marijuana?
Hard drug use initiation may be more responsive to information and decision-making interventions because the perceived risks are higher. Marijuana use may be more influenced by social norms and peer contexts that are harder to change through classroom programs alone.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-00873APA
Sussman, Steve; Valente, Thomas W; Rohrbach, Louise A; Dent, Clyde W; Sun, Ping. (2014). Commentary--Project Towards No Drug Abuse: an evidence-based drug abuse prevention program.. The journal of primary prevention, 35(4), 233-7. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-014-0353-4
MLA
Sussman, Steve, et al. "Commentary--Project Towards No Drug Abuse: an evidence-based drug abuse prevention program.." The journal of primary prevention, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-014-0353-4
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Commentary--Project Towards No Drug Abuse: an evidence-based..." RTHC-00873. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/sussman-2014-commentaryproject-towards-no-drug
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.