Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
The National Institutes on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism offers a free virtual reality experience, Alcohol and Your Brain, guiding users aged 13 and older through an immersive rollercoaster highlighting alcohol's effects on five brain areas: the prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, amygdala, hippocampus, and cerebellum. Participants can control the ride and pause to learn how alcohol influences behavior and these regions. Alternative video and audio-described versions are available, designed for middle and high school students.
A curriculum titled Cannabis: The Facts You Need to Know, created by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and Scholastic, Inc., offers educational materials for grades 6-12. It explains cannabidiol (CBD) and outlines the short- and long-term health impacts of cannabis use, including memory issues and addiction risk. The curriculum includes student articles, lesson plans, teacher guides, and interactive activities.
The Health In Our Hands curriculum teaches middle and high school students about genetics, environmental health factors, and community health topics such as type 2 diabetes and substance use disorder. The program helps students understand gene-environment interactions and key concepts in molecular genetics, genomics, and evolution with relevance to human health.
To build health literacy, the lesson plan Is This Legit?, developed by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, assists high school students in analyzing, evaluating, and comparing health information sources. This empowers teens to identify misinformation about alcohol and substances and to seek credible, evidence-based content that promotes their well-being.