Cannabis, T-Breaks, and Goals
Includes a Live Web Event on 03/25/2026 at 1:30 PM (EDT)
Tom Fontana, LCMHC, LADC
Alcohol, Cannabis & Other Drugs Initiatives Manager
The University of Vermont
Tom Fontana (he/him) is the Alcohol, Cannabis, and Other Drugs Initiatives Manager for the University of Vermont. He coordinates prevention, education, and the brief intervention model, BASICS, which is designed to assist students in exploring their relationship with substance use in a shame-free environment. This provides the opportunity to talk with hundreds of students each year individually. Additionally, Tom meets with student groups, including FSL and Athletics. Tom is lucky to be part of an Alcohol, Cannabis and Other Drugs Team (ACOD), whose goal is education and transformation. (Education is for individuals, to support non-use and safe-use; Transformation is for groups and culture, to disrupt harm and misuse.) When these aspects come together, meaningful change is possible.
In the United States, there are now more people who use cannabis daily than alcohol (Caulkins, 2024).  But daily use leads to tolerance. A Tolerance Break, or T-Break, is an intentional pause on use for a defined period of time that the community of cannabis users developed for themselves. Research shows that structured T-Breaks work. But if your goal is to stop- just so you can be more high later- then a break won't help with tolerance for long. Yet there are many people who want lasting change in their relationship with cannabis. Some want to stop, but more often, many people share that they would like to return to a time when cannabis was more fun. Working with students to help them identify their goals can help with sustained change.
Learning Outcomes
- Understand current use patterns common with 18-25 year old cannabis use
- Review research on tolerance breaks, and examine updates to the T-Break Guide, Version 6
- Explore ways to elicit client goals for change, especially with cannabis