History

In 1989, by an act of the New Jersey Legislature (P.L. 1989, Chapter 51), the Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (GCADA) was established as an independent planning and coordinating body covering all state, county, and local efforts regarding alcoholism, tobacco, and other drug abuse. The GCADA has two primary missions; one is the development of a Master Plan with a State Government Component, and the second is to maintain the Municipal Alliance Program in all 21 counties.

The Municipal Alliances are local planning and coordinating bodies established in all 21 counties to assess needs, set priorities, develop plans, and implement programs that form the foundation of New Jersey's substance abuse prevention activities.

The 1989 legislation gave authority to the counties to administer the Municipal Alliances through the County Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Offices. Specifically, each Local Advisory Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (LACADA) establishes a County Alliance Steering Subcommittee (CASS).

Funding for the GCADA and the Municipal Alliance program comes from the Drug Enforcement Demand Reduction (DEDR) Fund. The 1989 legislation established a set of fines on convicted drug offenders specifically to be collected into the DEDR Fund for the purpose of being returned to communities and used for local substance abuse prevention activities.