Disclaimer: The Activator is designed to keep prevention professionals informed about emerging products, industry marketing, public messaging, research, and current events. Content is shared to promote awareness and informed discussion—not to endorse, recommend, or promote any product, opinion, organization, or viewpoint featured within the newsletter.

🇺🇸🕯️ We Remember. We Rise.

Like so many, I remember exactly where I was on September 11, 2001. I was eating Lucky Charms when I heard about the first plane, then watched Good Morning America as the second plane hit. I was in the car with my mom, on my way to buy my first 'adult' car—a green, 5-speed Civic—when news came that the Pentagon had been hit. And I remember feeling numb when we learned that the final plane had gone down in Pennsylvania. I couldn't stop watching, crying, and asking 'why'. But I remember September 12, too. We were grieving, shocked, scared, and uncertain—and yet there was an incredible sense that we were in it together. Neighbors checked on neighbors. Strangers stood together. American flags seemed to be everywhere. Twenty-five years later, that memory reminds me that collective resilience isn't about avoiding tragedy or hardship; it's about how we respond, connect, care for one another, and find a way forward together. Today, I remember the lives lost, those forever changed, those who ran toward danger—and what we learned about the strength we can find in one another. ❤️🤍💙

The PATH Conference: Prevention, Addiction, Treatment, Healing returns April 21-22, 2027, bringing together professionals from prevention, behavioral health, human services, healthcare, and community organizations to learn, connect, and strengthen substance use and mental health efforts.

PATH is seeking engaging presenters who can share practical strategies, emerging trends and research, innovative approaches, and real-world lessons for professionals serving youth and adults. Topics may include drug trends, harm reduction, clinical practice, ethics, supervision, community engagement, workforce wellness, technology and AI, and other timely issues.

Have something worth sharing? Bring your expertise, experience, and fresh ideas to the table—and help shape the conversation at PATH 2027! ✨ Call for proposals is now open!

🌱 Investing Upstream🧠

HHS awards more than $380 million to strengthen America's behavioral health system on 988 Day SAMHSA

Natural defense: Unlocking the brain's hidden ability to suppress addiction UT San Antonio

How parents can talk to children about vaping risks

National Council on Mental Wellbeing

On the opposite side: Minnesota closed three addiction centers, leaving dwindling treatment choices Star Tribune

🪞 When Trends Collide📱

Looksmaxxing may sound like just another internet trend, but its reach into mainstream marketing deserves attention—especially when it intersects with another youth prevention concern: gambling.

Caesars Sportsbook recently launched its “We’ve Had Some Work Done” campaign featuring former NFL star Clay Matthews with an exaggerated looksmaxxing makeover to promote upgrades to its sports-betting app. The ads are rolling out nationally across television, digital, and social media during football season. 📸Caesars

Clay Matthews I Didn't Have Work Done, But Caesars Did!!! TMZ

For youth, that collision matters. A viral appearance trend, a recognizable athlete, football culture, humor, social media, and sports betting all come together in one highly shareable package. Even when youth aren’t the intended audience, repeated exposure can help normalize both appearance-focused pressures and gambling as ordinary parts of sports and digital culture. It’s a good reminder for prevention professionals to look beyond individual behaviors and pay attention to the marketing environments shaping what young people see as normal, desirable, and worth trying.

Gym, tan, injections? In pursuit of perfect looks, American teenagers turn to peptides Yahoo

...Promoted by looksmaxxers, ordered online, injected under their parents' roofs — the unproven peptide craze has come for high school kids...

Pheromone-maxxing TikTok trend has men skipping showers before dates Fox News

...So-called "pheromone-maxxing" is a viral TikTok trend primarily associated with teen boys and young men that involves skipping showers and deodorant before a date. Some proponents go so far as to wear unwashed shirts or drink their own urine in an effort to "sweat out toxins"...

This looksmaxxer's drug and peptide regimen is a medical nightmare MDLinx

...a prominent figure in the looksmaxxing world...recently drew attention for a regimen that reads less like a typical supplement stack and more like a medication reconciliation nightmare...

🍸Pop-Tarts Get Boozy🍫

Remember Pop-Tarts from breakfast before school? Now that familiar brand is crossing into the alcohol aisle. BuzzBallz and Pop-Tarts have teamed up on ready-to-drink cocktails inspired by Frosted S’mores and Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon, with the Brown Sugar Cinnamon version listed at 15% ABV - that's about 1.7 standard drinks for the low, low price of $2.99. For prevention, it's another example worth watching as alcohol brands tap into familiar foods, flavors, nostalgia, and recognizable packaging. What happens to perceptions of alcohol when the branding looks more like breakfast than booze? 👀

Check out the coverage by Sporked.com BuzzBallz is turning two Pop-Tarts flavors into cocktails 📸Total Wine & More

🍬Baking Bad: Nitrous Gets a Makeover ⚠️

The branding alone made me look twice. Baking Bad offers large 2.2-liter nitrous oxide (N₂O) cream charger canisters in flavors including Rainbow Candy, Strawberry, Blueberry Mango, and Watermelon Lemon. The company markets them for culinary use, and one canister holds the equivalent of roughly 80 standard cream chargers. This is just one example of the company’s creative branding—explore more at Miami Magic. In many stores, they carry cans that come up past my knee, and their online storefront is stocked and ready to ship.

For prevention, it's another example of how flavors, playful branding, and large-capacity products are changing what nitrous oxide looks like in today's marketplace. With recreational nitrous use already on our radar, it's worth asking: Who does branding like “Baking Bad” and “Rainbow Candy” appeal to—and how might it change perceptions of risk? 👀Learn more about nitrous dangers from ViolinMD📹.

Good prevention doesn't stop at programs—it includes policy and advocacy. As the 2026 election approaches, prevention coalitions have an opportunity to make sure substance use prevention, treatment, recovery, and overdose response are part of the public conversation. CADCA's new 2026 Congressional Election Guide provides practical, nonpartisan tools for engaging candidates, asking questions at forums and community events, working with local media, and learning where candidates stand on issues ranging from prevention funding and youth nicotine use to kratom and intoxicating hemp. And remember: advocacy is not the same as partisan politics. For 501(c)(3), community, and governmental organizations, understanding the rules allows you to educate, engage, and elevate community concerns while remaining nonpartisan.

Why this matters: If prevention isn't part of the conversation, we can't assume decision-makers know what our communities need.

Hemp Gets a Reprieve—Not a Resolution

The hemp industry was celebrating this week after most of the new federal hemp restrictions were delayed from November 12 to December 11, 2026. One promotional email that landed in my inbox from BakedBags.com summed up the industry's reaction with: “RESET THE CLOCK!”—celebrating the extra month while promising new products, discounts, and inventory clearance.

Why it matters: This is a reprieve, not a policy resolution. The underlying federal restrictions weren't eliminated; most were simply pushed back 29 days, while certain cannabinoids that cannot be naturally produced by the cannabis plant remain subject to the November 12 date. Coalitions shouldn't mistake a new deadline for a canceled policy. Keep educating your community, tracking what is being sold and marketed locally, and staying engaged with local and state policy conversations. The clock may have been reset—but the issue hasn't gone away. ⏰🌿

WI continues to seek input on its next opioid-settlement allocation

Wisconsin DHS anticipates receiving $11.6 million in state-managed opioid settlement funds for state fiscal year 2028—and communities have an opportunity to help shape how those dollars are invested. The DHS public survey is open through September 30, 2026, with input helping inform priorities across prevention, overdose reduction, infectious disease prevention, treatment, and recovery.

Why it matters: This is an opportunity to have a voice before funding priorities are finalized, rather than waiting until grants are announced. Encourage coalition members and community partners to respond from their own perspectives and areas of expertise. Different voices sharing complementary priorities can paint a much stronger picture of what communities need than identical form responses.

September brings together National Recovery Month and Suicide Prevention Month—two observances grounded in hope, connection, resilience, and possibility. 💜💚 All month long, I’ll be sharing toolkits, resources, and initiatives you can use to bring these important conversations to your communities.

The Jed Foundation (JED) is a nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for our nation’s teens and young adults. Their info and advice without judgment on a variety of topics is great!

Man Therapy is one of my favorite mental health awareness initiatives! Grit Media is a Colorado-based company which promotes a 20-pt head inspection, creates clever media, and links to helpful resources!

The mission of Action for Happiness is to help people create a happier world, with a culture that prioritizes happiness and kindness. Check out their monthly calendars with 1 thing to do each day to make it a better day!

In this month's Johnny's Ambassadors newsletter, the amazing Laura Stack shared her personal story about their son, Johnny, who died by suicide following years of high-potency THC use in 2019.

If you haven't visited their page, there's a whole host of resources for you!

Missed a week? Use the “call back” graphic at the bottom of this email to catch up on previous editions. And if you find a resource, trend, or story worth sharing, Send it my way📬

Attend this 2-part power up series hosted by the Montana Public Health Training Center! Read the session write-ups.

Scholarships are available!

Use the discount code PTTC350 when registering and save over $300 for the virtual Fall Prevention Professional Conference held October 13-15 - including experts on youth engagement, advocacy authorities, evaluation pros, self-care specialists, and more!

Don't delay, sign up today to join me at this event!