New Wins! Synergy Wins Two Policy Awards

Synergy Widens Focus to Alcohol and Cannabis Policy and Expands Work on Preventing Underage Drinking

Synergy Enterprises, Inc. (Synergy) recently won two new contracts that will expand our decadelong work in the prevention of underage alcohol consumption and illicit drug use.

NIAAA APIS Website

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) awarded Synergy a contract that began in January 2023 to broaden and promote its Alcohol Policy Information System (APIS) website (https://alcoholpolicy.niaaa.nih.gov). APIS is an online resource that provides public access to detailed information on a variety of public policies related to alcohol and cannabis. APIS collects and analyzes statutes and regulations concerning alcohol and cannabis and is designed to simplify the process of accessing the relevant state laws for researchers studying the effects and effectiveness of alcohol- and cannabis-related policies. Synergy’s team of legal researchers, social scientists, communications specialists, and information technology professionals will collaborate with NIAAA on the important work of updating and sharing policies on alcohol and cannabis while increasing the dissemination of information to a wide variety of audiences, including researchers, practitioners, policymakers, advocates, and more.

STOP Act

In September 2022, the federal Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking, on behalf of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, has engaged Synergy to support work on the congressionally required Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act (STOP Act) reporting. These reports include current data on underage drinking, individual state reports on prevention and enforcement activities, and performance measures for evaluating best practices. They serve as the leading compendium of state and federal efforts toward reducing underage drinking. Synergy is responsible for compiling and updating data across multiple national surveys; working with 16 different federal agencies to track their efforts toward preventing underage drinking; conducting a review of the current state of published literature on underage drinking and related harms; and collecting data and conducting legal research on the 50 states’ and the District of Columbia’s activities related to underage drinking and their prevention policies. In addition, Synergy is developing educational products and materials related to the reports, and these will be disseminated to a wide range of audiences, including state prevention, treatment, and enforcement officials; state and federal policymakers; community coalitions; educators; and parents.

The STOP Act reporting and accompanying educational products are important tools in U.S. efforts to reduce and prevent alcohol and substance use disorders. Synergy takes great pride in our contributions to this work.