School-Based Cannabis Prevention Programs

The prevention of cannabis use needs to be closely related to the natural history of cannabis use during adolescence. Some transition periods present moments of special risk, and also good opportunities to intervene. Schools, in so far as they congregate the majority of the population, are in the best position to address universal prevention strategies within its context. These strategies, based in recognized evidence principles, provide students basic resources to cope with social influences, and also with the social marketing of cannabis in each environment. Consequently, from 1990 to the present day, several cannabis prevention programs have been developed in the western context, eight of which are described in this chapter. The effectiveness evaluation outcomes and quality ratings of these programs permit us to consider them as best practices in this field of prevention.