IL SB2223

Renames the heroin and opioid prevention program to "Drug education and youth overdose prevention" and expands its scope beyond opioids to general substance use prevention and recovery.

Requires the State Board of Education and Department of Human Services to develop a Substance Use Prevention and Recovery Instruction Resource Guide by July 1, 2024, in consultation with the Illinois Opioid Crisis Response Advisory Council.

Resource Guide must include age-appropriate, evidence-based materials covering substance types, harm reduction, naloxone and fentanyl test strips, adverse childhood experiences, health inequities, and coping strategies aligned with Illinois Learning Standards.

School districts retain voluntary participation in the program and may select which grade levels to include; Department of Human Services shall reimburse grantees for instructional program costs subject to appropriation.

Program must use interactive, research-proven teaching methods and provide scientific, social, and emotional learning content targeting prescription pain medication and heroin abuse risks.