The grant was one of 176 new grants totaling $17.1 million awarded to community antidrug coalitions across the country.

The goal of the 711 local coalitions is to work together to prevent and reduce drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse among youth.

"This is great news for the prevention efforts in Marion County," said Linda Ogden, CIS executive director. "The Drug-Free Communities Program and other drug prevention efforts are important elements of a balanced national drug control strategy.

"All the key partners involved in CIS of Marion County are doing crucial prevention work in our community," she added. "Continuation of federal support will help us expand our efforts and reach more of our county's children."

U.S. drug-control efforts have resulted in a 17 percent reduction in drug use over the last three years, said John Walters, director of national drug control policy and President Bush's "Drug Czar."

"As a nation, we have made significant progress in protecting our young people from the dangers of substance abuse," Walters said.

"This grant will help the dedicated citizens of Marion County, Kan., contribute even more to this effort and will help build on the important progress being made to keep our children healthy and drug-free."

The Drug-Free Communities Program provides grants of up to $500,000 over five years to community organizations that serve as catalysts for citizen participation in local drug prevention efforts.

To qualify for matching grants, all awardees must have at least a six-month history of working together on substance abuse reduction initiatives, develop a long-term plan to reduce substance abuse, and participate in a national evaluation of the Drug-Free Communities Program.

Created under the Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997, the Drug-Free Communities Program has earned strong bipartisan support from Congress. In December 2001, Congress passed and Bush signed into law a five-year extension of the Drug-Free Communities Act, authorizing $399 million in funds through FY 2007.

This year the appropriation provided 176 new grants and another $54 million to support continuation grants to 535 existing community coalition projects operating in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

ONDCP administers the Drug-Free Communities Program in conjunction with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.