We offer a variety of substance abuse awareness and prevention programs and are continually developing new programs to meet the needs of our communities.
School Curriculum ATOD coordinates substance abuse awareness curricula with the Pine River-Backus public school system. The curricula is part of Project Northland, a research-based alcohol-use prevention program funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a part of the National Institute of Health.
ZAP-Program The Pine River-Backus ZAP Program is a partnership between the Pine River-Backus Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug (ATOD) Program, the Pine River and Backus Police Departments and the Cass County Sheriffs Office. It’s designed to fundamentally change the way law enforcement approach underage drinking parties. Instead of treating the party as a nuisance call where officers would merely send home anyone over the age of 21 and issue citations for minor consumption to anyone under 21, now the party is treated like a crime scene.
It is a Gross Misdemeanor offense to provide alcohol to underage kids (besides your own child in your own home). A Gross Misdemeanor is punishable by up to a year in jail and/or up to a $3000 fine!
Safe Party Zone If you plan on hosting a party where underage kids WILL NOT be allowed to consume alcohol, we encourage you to post a Safe Party Zone certificate to let the teenagers know they can have fun being alcohol free! Certificates are available for free from ATOD.
Presentations & TrainingWe offer a several presentations and training opportunities designed for schools, groups, businesses and community organizations to learn more about substance abuse prevention:
See it, Say it
See it, Say it is a six step process that can be used with anyone who wants to be able to talk effectively with a friend, young person or a loved one about his or her concerning behavior.Inhalant Abuse
Discuss possible inhalants and their dangersResponsible Beverage Server Training
This two hour training covers the affects of alcohol consumption on adolescents, laws for those under 21, laws for those over 21, especially pertaining to alcohol beverage servers and alcohol related business owners, ways to determine if someone is intoxicated, what compliance checks are all about, how they are conducted and what is needed to pass them, and how to deal with that person, identifying fake ID’s.
Each business that participates receives a magnifying glass and an instrument called a Security Laminate Verifier to assist in the detection of fake ID’s. Cost for the training is $20 per person and participants receive a verification of attendance certificate from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division. Having bartenders participate in this training and receiving their certificates may enable the business to apply for reduction in their insurance premiums. The program is designed to help reduce access of alcohol to underage youth.
What the Heck is PRB-ATOD?
Overview of the Pine River-Backus Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Program.
What’s Out There?
Discussion of how easy is it for kids to access chemicals to get high and what to look for.
It’s Only Alcohol: Facts About Adolescent Alcohol Consumption
PowerPoint presentation on the affects of alcohol on adolescents including the new brain research and some PRB stats.
Compliance Checks for Businesses
The Pine River and Backus Police Departments along with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office conduct compliance checks to enforce liquor sales laws in Pine River and Backus, Minnesota. We believe that helping avoid law violations, such as selling alcohol to underage people, will help us avoid the problems associated with underage drinking.
Underage individuals working with law enforcement may come into area business during the next few months to attempt to purchase alcohol. Staff caught selling alcohol to these underage individuals will be referred to the Cass County Attorney’s Office for criminal prosecution. Businesses where the sale to the underage buyers occurred will be referred to their liquor licensing issuer and may receive a civil penalty up to $2000 and/or their liquor license suspended or revoked. Reports on compliance check operations became public data under Minnesota State law, meaning the identity of businesses checked and the outcomes of each check can be obtained and published by the news media.
We want staff to refuse alcohol sales to underage buyers. We can offer the following tools to help ensure that your staff is familiar with the laws:
Copies of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Driver’s Licenses and Identification Cards (photo examples of proper IDs).
At your request, we can send an officer to your establishment to give a 10-15 minute informational talk on the alcohol sales laws, responsibilities and consequences of serving someone underage.
You can contact ATOD to get information on training for your servers. Many insurance companies will offer insurance rate discounts when all your servers have completed RBS training.
Drug Testing
The Pine River-Backus Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Program offers confidential drug testing for $10 a test. Parents can purchase testing kits from the ATOD Coordinator who is experienced in acquiring urine samples from individuals for the purpose of drug testing. The ATOD Coordinator will give parents a short lesson in how to get the sample and how to read the (easy to read) instrument. Drugs that are detected by the instrument include marijuana (THC), Methamphetamine, Cocaine, Benzodiazepines (pain killers, anti anxiety meds), Methadone, Barbiturates, MDMA (ecstasy), Opiates (heroin, morphine and codeine), PCP and Oxycodone.Safe Home Parent Pledge Program The PRB Safe Home Program is a parent/guardian pledge program designed to help create a safe environment for children and increase communication between Safe Home parents/guardians.
Parent Support Group Are you worried about your child’s alcohol or drug use? Do you feel like no one knows what you’re going through? You are invited to attend a parent support group facilitated by Jerry and Cathy Osterloh. Jerry and Cathy lost their son to an overdose and want to help others.