About the Alliances
A Municipal Alliance is a municipal level grassroots organization comprised of:
- Agency representatives
- Community members
- Counselors
- Parents
- Police
- Others interested in the prevention of drug and alcohol abuse
- School staff
- Teachers
- Youth
Created in 1989, The Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (GCADA) oversees the Alliances on the State level. GCADA receives money from the Drug Enforcement Demand Reduction Fund (DEDR) which is derived from fines that are levied upon people convicted of drug offenses. The money is granted to each county and then awarded to each municipality with a Municipal Alliance. The Alliances have a task to assess and implement drug and alcohol prevention programs based on the needs of their individual communities.
Statewide, the Municipal Alliances exist in over 500 of New Jersey’s Municipalities offering over 2,000 drug and alcohol prevention programs, serving 1,000s of residents. Locally, Cape May County has seven Municipal Alliances encompassing 14 Municipalities.