AzSAM Initiatives
AzSAM is committed to advancing addiction medicine both within the healthcare community and throughout Arizona. Through legislative advocacy, public education, professional training, community partnerships, and the promotion of evidence-based best practices, our members work to improve prevention, treatment, recovery, and public understanding of substance use disorders. The activities below highlight the many ways AzSAM is engaged in serving patients, supporting professionals, informing policy, and strengthening communities across the state.
Want to tell us about a project you're leading?
AzSAM is always looking to highlight and support the outstanding work being done by our members across Arizona. Whether you are involved in advocacy, research, education, community outreach, policy development, overdose prevention, recovery initiatives, or innovative clinical programs, we want to hear about it. AzSAM may be able to help amplify your efforts through our network, connect you with collaborators, provide subject matter expertise, and help champion your initiative across the finish line.
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AzSAM Co-Sponsors Addiction Study Bill (SB1814)
AzSAM partnered with the Arizona Attorney General's Office to champion Senate Bill 1814, signed into law by Governor Katie Hobbs in June 2026. The legislation establishes the Substance Use Disorder Treatment Standards and Oversight Study Committee to strengthen oversight, quality, and accountability in Arizona's addiction treatment system.
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STOP-IT AZ School Overdose Prevention Initiative
AzSAM partnered with the Arizona Department of Education on STOP-IT (School Training Overdose Preparedness and Intelligence Taskforce), a first-in-the-nation, statewide framework for school overdose preparedness — including naloxone distribution, staff training, model policies, and overdose reporting for Arizona's K–12 schools.
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Expanding Evidence-Based Addiction Education in Arizona Correctional Facilities
AzSAM is partnering with ADCRR, the Arizona Attorney General's Office, AHCCCS, ADHS, and other stakeholders to build a comprehensive substance use disorder education curriculum for Arizona's correctional system — delivered through the Edovo digital learning platform — and is seeking member subject matter experts to help develop content.
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Educating Arizona's Judicial Community on Addiction and Youth Brain Development
AzSAM partnered with the Arizona Judicial Conference to deliver 'The Science Behind the Sentence: Addiction, Adolescent Brain Development, and Youth Justice' — a session for judges, court administrators, probation professionals, and other justice-system stakeholders on the neuroscience of addiction and the developing brain.
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RESPONSE: Building a National Framework for School Overdose Prevention and Preparedness
Several AzSAM leaders are helping lead the national RESPONSE initiative — developing the first comprehensive national framework for school overdose prevention and preparedness in partnership with the NFL Alumni Health Initiative, The Naloxone Project, ACEP, ASHA, and school health leaders across the country.
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Developing the Nation's First K–12 Standards for Opioid and Overdose Education
AzSAM leader Dr. Allison Huff is serving as Co-Project Lead for the SHAPE Curriculum Standards Initiative — a national effort through the RESPONSE Initiative to create the nation's first comprehensive K–12 curriculum standards on opioids, overdose prevention and management, and opioid use disorder.
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