To receive federal grants for substance use or mental health, states are required to have:
Thirty-seven states have combined these two duties into one planning council, with the SSA serving as a single point of contact (SAMHSA 2023). Thirteen states maintain separate councils for mental health block grants. Forty-six states have established a separate substance-use policy advisory body to review data and recommend substance use policy to the legislative and executive branches (Figure 1). The advisory bodies are separate from the SSA and planning council whose role is limited to fund administration, not setting policy.
A “czar” is an informal title for a single executive branch administrator with day-to-day authority over a state’s drug-control strategy. WV is the only state with a central executive position commonly called a “drug czar” (Office of the Governor 2024). In 2017, the state created the Office of Drug Control Policy and gave the director day-to-day authority over the state’s drug control policy and strategic planning.
Substance use policy bodies are typically made up of legislators, agency officials, and citizen experts. Their names vary: 18 states have a council, 10 states have task forces, 5 states have a board, and 4 have a commission.
Twenty-four advisory bodies were created by statute, 13 by executive order, two by both, and seven without a clearly identifiable enabling statute or executive order. Advisory bodies established by statute tend to carry broader substance use, behavioral health, or planning mandates, while executive order advisory bodies focus narrowly on opioids. Four states (AZ, FL, NE, SC) have advisory bodies that are no longer active.
References
Advisory Board on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (n.d.) https://boards-cr.gov.alaska.gov/Active-Boards-and-Commissions/Board-Information/?id=0c46aecf-9950-e311-b376-00155d639117
Advisory Council on Substance Use (2026) https://www.pa.gov/agencies/ddap/about-us/council-and-working-groups/advisory-council-on-substance-use
Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission (n.d.) https://www.oregon.gov/adpc/pages/index.aspx
Alabama Opioid Overdose and Addiction Council (2025) https://mh.alabama.gov/faq/alabama-opioid-overdose-and-addiction-council/
Arkansas Alcohol and Drug Abuse Coordination Council (2026) Arkansas Alcohol and Drug Abuse Coordination Council Archives - Arkansas Department of Human Services
Behavioral Health Advisory Committee (2026) https://www.hhs.texas.gov/about/advisory-committees/behavioral-health-advisory-committee
Behavioral Health Advisory Council (2026) https://boardsandcommissions.sd.gov/Information.aspx?BoardID=55
Behavioral Health Consortium Delaware (2026) https://ltgov.delaware.gov/behavioral-health-consortium/
Behavioral Health Executive Committee (2026) https://www.hca.nm.gov/about_the_department/behavioral-health-reform/
Behavioral Health Planning Advisory Council (2026) https://www.dpbh.nv.gov/programs/bh-wellness-and-prevention-bbhwp/boards-and-public-meetings/bhpac/
California Behavioral Health Task Force (2026) https://www.chhs.ca.gov/home/committees/behavioral-health-task-force/
Connecticut Alcohol and Drug Policy Council (2026) https://portal.ct.gov/dmhas/commissions-councils-boards/index/alcohol-and-drug-policy-council
Drug Policy Board (2026) https://gov.louisiana.gov/page/drug-policy
Formula Grants to States. 42 U.S.C § 300x-3. (2016) https://shorturl.at/OL4Jk
Governor’s Behavioral Health Services Planning Council (2026) https://www.kdads.ks.gov/services-programs/behavioral-health/governor-s-behavioral-health-services-planning-council
Governor’s Commission on Addiction, Treatment, and Prevention (2026) https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/about-dhhs/advisory-organizations/governors-commission-addiction-treatment-and-prevention
Governor’s Council on Behavioral Health (2026) https://bhddh.ri.gov/behavioral-health/mental-health/governors-council-behavioral-health
Governor’s Council on Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (n.d.) https://odcp.wv.gov/governors-council-0
Governor’s Council on Substance Use Disorder (2026) https://www.nj.gov/gcsud/
Governor’s Opioid Overdose Prevention and Recovery Steering Committee (n.d.) https://govappointments.illinois.gov/boardsandcommissions/details/?id=2316cb5e-2007-ee11-8f6d-001dd8068008
Hawaii State Council on Mental Health (2026) https://scmh.hawaii.gov/
Idaho Behavioral Health Council (2026) https://behavioralhealthcouncil.idaho.gov/
Indiana Commission to Combat Substance Use Disorder (2026) https://www.in.gov/recovery/
Iowa Behavioral Health District Advisory Councils (n.d.) https://www.iowapca.org/district-advisory-councils
KY Agency for Substance Abuse Policy (2026) https://odcp.ky.gov/About/Pages/History.aspx
Maryland Overdose Response Advisory Council (2026) https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/26excom/html/27overdose.html
Massachusetts Interagency Council on Substance Abuse Prevention (2026) https://boards.mass.gov/detail/160194/massachusetts-interagency-council-on-substance-abuse-and-prevention
Montana Substance Use Disorder Task Force (n.d.) https://dphhs.mt.gov/opioid/
NC Opioid and Prescription Drug Abuse Advisory Committee (2026) https://www.ncdhhs.gov/about/department-initiatives/overdose-epidemic/nc-opioid-and-prescription-drug-abuse-advisory-committee
North Dakota Behavioral Health Planning Council (2025) https://www.hhs.nd.gov/bhpc
Office of the Governor (2024) Governor Justice Appoints New Office of Drug Control Policy Director. https://governorjustice.wv.gov/News/press-releases/2024/Pages/Gov.-Justice-appoints-new-Office-of-Drug-Control-Policy-Director.aspx
Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Governing Board (2026) https://oklahoma.gov/odmhsas/about/board-governance.html
Opioid Abatement Council (2026) https://www.tn.gov/oac/meeting-schedule.html
Opioid Advisory Commission (2022) https://council.legislature.mi.gov/Council/OAC
Opioid Epidemic Response Advisory Council (2025) https://mn.gov/dhs/opioids/home/
Opioid Response Clinical Advisory Committee (n.d.) https://www.maine.gov/future/opioids/clinical-advisory-committee
Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Board (2026) https://oasas.ny.gov/opioid-settlement-fund-advisory-board
Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Council (n.d.) https://attorneygenerallynnfitch.com/opioid-settlement-fund-advisory-council/
Opioid Task Force (2020) https://doseofrealityfl.com/opioid-task-force.html
Recovery Ohio Advisory Council (n.d.) https://recoveryohio.gov/about/council
South Carolina Center of Excellence in Addiction Advisory Board (2024) https://addictioncenterofexcellence.sc.gov/advisory-board
State Council on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (n.d.) https://odcp.wv.gov/governors-council-0
Statewide Opioid Task Force (n.d.) https://law.georgia.gov/key-issues/opioid-abuse/statewide-opioid-task-force
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (2023) Community Mental Health Services Block Grant. https://www.samhsa.gov/grants/block-grants/mhbg
Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grants. 45 C.F.R. §§ 96.121-96.122 (2022). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-96/subpart-L/section-96.121
Substance Abuse Treatment Task Force (2021) https://ncc.nebraska.gov/state-reports
Substance Abuse Trend and Response Task Force (2026) https://coag.gov/task-force/
Substance Misuse Prevention Oversight and Advisory Council (2026) https://www.healthvermont.gov/alcohol-drugs/public-meetings-comments/substance-misuse-prevention-oversight-advisory-council
Substance Use Recovery Services Advisory Committee (2026) https://www.hca.wa.gov/about-hca/programs-and-initiatives/behavioral-health-and-recovery/substance-use-recovery-services-advisory-committee-sursac
Task Force on Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (2026) https://www.senate.mo.gov/Committees/CommitteeGroup?type=8&year=2026
Utah Substance Use and Mental Health Advisory Committee (2026) https://sumh.stage.utah.gov/data-reports/behavior-health-commission/utah-substance-use-and-mental-health-advisory-committee/
Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority (n.d.) https://www.oaa.virginia.gov/about/who-we-are/
Wyoming Behavioral Health Advisory Council (2026) https://health.wyo.gov/behavioralhealth/mhsa/bhac/
