A proposal from Colorado teenagers to offer substance abuse intervention guidelines to schools passed its final vote in the state legislature Friday.

If signed into law, House Bill 1009 would create a committee tasked with developing best practices for middle and high schools to identify students who need substance use treatment, offer intervention and refer the students to treatment resources.

The Senate passed the bill in a 22-10 vote on Friday, following the House’s 45-19 approval last month. Next, the bill will be sent back to the House to approve changes made by the Senate, and then to the governor for final consideration.

“Substance use is an increasing issue for kids all over Colorado, and many of our teens don’t have the tools they need to prevent or stop addictive behavior,” said bill sponsor Rep. Mandy Lindsay, D-Aurora. “We’re bringing students, parents, teachers, school administrators, licensed special service providers, and substance use medical professionals together to figure out how we can best address rising drug use in Colorado teens.”

Colorado is the seventh most prevalent state for substance abuse in the country, according to a 2022 study. Colorado teenagers are also 37.4% more likely to have used drugs in the last month and 15.1% more likely to use alcohol than the average American teenager, according to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics.

Support for the bill was split along party lines in both chambers, with all Republicans voting “no” on the bill and all Democrats voting “yes.”

Some opponents argued that the public school system is not designed for or equipped to tackle substance abuse issues, saying such efforts should be handled by county behavioral health administrations or other community services.

“We are, at times, walking away from the core mission of public education,” said Sen. Paul Lundeen, R-Monument. “We’re trying to cause public education to be all things to all peoples under all circumstances at all times everywhere. I think that is, in fact, a misuse of effort and resources. This bill is one more step down that pathway.”

The bill aims to combat the use of alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, prescription drugs and illicit drugs. The committee would have until Jan. 5, 2024 to submit its report to every school district and charter school in the state, as well as the Colorado Department of Education. The committee would consist of 18 people, including students, parents, school staff and medical professionals.

The bill came from the Colorado Youth Advisory Council, a group of local teenagers chosen to advise and recommend policies to lawmakers to address youth issues.

Bhavya Surapaneni, a senior at Rock Canyon High School and one of the teens behind the bill, said it is the norm to walk in on her fellow students vaping in the bathrooms, hear stories of their weekend binge drinking and occasionally watch her peers be suspended for possessing illicit drugs — sent home with nothing more than a brochure on the dangers of substance abuse.

Though they’ve received education aimed at preventing substance use since middle school, Surapaneni said substance abuse still runs rampant among her peers, and efforts to help students who already struggle are “virtually nonexistent.”

“Intervention is not a priority in many schools, including mine,” Surapaneni said. “Substance abuse is pushed to the side, dealt with as quickly and quietly as possible, without any emphasis on treatment.”

Under the bill, the committee would start by building off of and modifying the state’s existing Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Program, which is already in place at some of Colorado’s school-based health centers and is designed to detect early substance use disorders in students and refer them for treatment. The bill would not implement any programs in schools, leaving the final decision up to the schools and school districts.

If signed by Gov. Jared Polis, the bill would take effect in August.