The laws that legalized adult cannabis use in Illinois included funding for programs to mitigate the negative impact of the War on Drugs.

Approximately one in three U.S. adults experienced either a substance use disorder (SUD) or mental illness in the past year. Despite the prevalence of SUD and mental illness, treatment, employment opportunities, and critical supports and resources for individuals are limited and often inaccessible.

Enacted in 2019, Illinois’ Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act supports the use of Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) funds generated by cannabis tax revenue to study the health impacts of legalizing recreational cannabis and to evaluate programs that are intended to address the broader socioeconomic impacts and inequities caused by the decades-long War on Drugs.

NORC is supporting the evaluation of six programs that receive cannabis tax funding in Illinois.

NORC, in partnership with the University of Illinois Chicago, is supporting the evaluation of six programs that receive cannabis tax funding in Illinois to understand and evaluate the implementation facilitators, barriers, and successes the programs experience. The programs aim to provide permanent supportive housing, increase the behavioral health workforce, distribute overdose-reversal medications, expand substance use treatment, provide crisis and suicide prevention services, and increase the public’s awareness of cannabis use. Evaluations of the programs involve a mixed-methods approach utilizing key informant interviews, focus groups, and surveys. More detail on each of these programs is included below.

• Crisis Services: The Crisis Services Program includes three independent but highly coordinated groups, including IL 988 Call Centers, 590 Mobile Crisis Teams, and Stabilization Centers, and a suicide awareness and prevention initiative. This program aims to expand Illinois’ infrastructure to provide suicide prevention, intervention, and diversion for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis or suicidal ideation.
• Behavioral Health Corps: This program aims to increase the peer behavioral health workforce by offering individuals with lived experiences Certified Recovery Support Specialist (CRSS) coursework, an opportunity to earn a CRSS certification, and a chance to gain workforce experience through a supervised internship.
• Access Narcan: The Access Narcan program enables organizations such as hospitals, jails, and community agencies that provide overdose prevention services to order and receive naloxone through a pharmacist-managed portal, free of charge. The organizations distribute overdose-reversal medication to individuals, thereby increasing the availability of life-saving treatment in communities.
• Permanent Supportive Housing: Through a housing first model, Illinois Department of Mental Health (DMH) and Substance Use Prevention & Recovery (SUPR) are increasing short-term housing vouchers and offering bridge subsidies for permanent housing to prevent homelessness. Target populations include individuals with mental health, substance use, or co-occurring disorders.
• Mobile Treatment Units: The Mobile Treatment Unit program aims to expand substance use treatment and referral to services for individuals living in under resourced communities.
• Prevention First: This workstream is a formative evaluation of the Prevention First cannabis education campaign which involves analyzing social media, cannabis dispensary, and educational campaign participation data.

More information on the full evaluation and UIC’s work on this project can be found on the project website.