Purpose: The feasibility of a community-level drug prevention intervention based upon the principles of motivational interviewing within a further education college was investigated in a pilot study. Design/methodology/approach: The implementation over the course of a single term of "Let's Talk about Drugs" was studied with both action research methods and a quasi-experimental design. Findings: Modest qualitative evidence of attitudinal and environmental benefit provides some optimism that intervention of greater duration may have the capacity to produce more substantial impact. Research limitations/implications: The sustainability of the achieved institutional changes following the delivery of this intervention, most notably centring upon a revised drug policy, is questionable. No quantitative data on reduced drug use behaviour or associated problems directly attributable to intervention was obtained. Originality/value: Further education colleges offer relatively unexplored opportunities for drug prevention and harm reduction, at both individual and community levels. Three major lessons were learned: for the motivational interviewing approach to be applied with meaningful potential to effectively shaping behaviour at the college level, greater input is required; quasi-experimental methods for evaluation are feasible and appropriate; and intervention must be coherent with, and shaped by, the specific college context. (Contains 3 tables.)