Protecting young people from cannabis use
10/06/2026Health Minister Judith Gerlach will be visiting Würzburg on 12 October. To mark Bavarian Prevention Day, she will be presenting a new prevention programme for young people to the public.
On 12 October 2026, the German Centre for Mental Health Prevention Research (Deutsche Zentrum für Präventionsforschung Psychische Gesundheit - DZPP) in Würzburg is hosting an open day. To mark the occasion, the DZPP’s patron, Minister of State Judith Gerlach, will present the XCAN cannabis prevention programme to the public. In addition, anyone interested will be able to find out more about the DZPP’s projects on its premises. This will be followed by an online training session in the afternoon.
The German Centre for Mental Health Prevention Research aims to identify mental health issues as early as possible and to develop effective prevention strategies. The interdisciplinary research institute, sponsored by the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg and the University Hospital of Würzburg, develops prevention programmes, scientifically evaluates their effectiveness and works to integrate successful approaches into mainstream care.
On Monday, 12 October 2026, to mark the first Bavarian Prevention Day, the DZPP invites the general public to find out more about current approaches to the prevention of mental illness and to gain a first-hand insight into the centre’s work.
Cannabis prevention and a discussion to kick things off
The public and free event begins at 10.00 am at the Würzburg Graduate School of Life Sciences on the Hubland Nord campus. During a series of presentations, Judith Gerlach, Bavarian Minister of State for Health, Care and Prevention, will speak on the topic ‘Prevention as a shared responsibility’.
Dr Stella Vieth from the DZPP will then present the XCAN cannabis prevention programme. Developed at the DZPP with the support of the Bavarian Ministry of Health, the programme aims to help protect young people from the risks of cannabis use. A panel discussion starting at 10.40 am will round off the first part of the programme.
A look behind the scenes at the centre
From 11.30 am, the DZPP will open its doors at the Sternstunden Prevention Centre at Klara-Oppenheimer-Weg 38. Visitors will be able to tour the centre, learn about various projects and speak directly with staff members.
“The open day thus offers an opportunity to find out first-hand how prevention research works and how scientifically developed programmes are put into practice,” explains Professor Marcel Romanos, Director of the DZPP. The tour, featuring project presentations, runs until 2.00 pm.
Online training session in the afternoon
This will be followed from 2.30 pm to 4.00 pm by an online training session entitled “From vision to provision – how the DZPP rolls out evidence-based prevention across the board”. Various research and prevention projects will be presented in concise talks – including those on emotion regulation, cyberbullying and mental health conditions in childhood.
Registration
Registration by email to dzpp@ukw.de is required for the programme segment from 10.00 am to 11.00 am at the Graduate School of Life Sciences, Beatrice-Edgell-Weg 21. The subsequent open day will take place from 11.30 am to 2.00 pm at the DZPP, Klara-Oppenheimer-Weg 38. Further details on the programme – in particular the online training course aimed at professionals – can be found at www.med.uni-wuerzburg.de/dzpp.
