Pubdate: Mon, 09 Jun 2003
Source: Richmond News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2003, Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc.
Contact:  http://www.richmond-news.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1244
Author: Trudi Beutel

BOOZE, DOPE NOT COOL

Drugs and alcohol can lead to death and destruction and that's a path
Christy Clark is driven to change.

B.C.'s education minister outlined her plans to close the doors of
perception among teens that alcohol and drugs are cool. This attitude
adjustment, she hopes, will be achieved through a new drug and alcohol
awareness course, which could be implemented as soon as this fall.

"Every child everywhere in British Columbia who graduates from our high
school will have to have a core understanding of the impact of substance
abuse," Clark told reporters Thursday.

"We want to make sure that it is embedded in the (Planning 10) curriculum
and that every child learns about it - before they get into a car and go to
a grad party."

If students don't pass the course, they won't graduate, Clark added.

The curriculum is in the drafting stage now and could be ready by September.

"I think we can do more as a society to make sure that kids have the
information that they need to perhaps make better decisions," she said.
"This won't be the cure-all, there's no question about that, but it's, I
think, part of the puzzle."

Richmond's Alcohol and Drug Action Recovery Team applauds the move.

The team's prevention co-ordinator, Christa Mullaly, says the province's
move to introduce the message into the curriculum will give students one
more tool to understand the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse.

"Knowledge is power," she said. "They'll be making informed decisions rather
than uninformed decisions."

Mullaly said curiosity about drugs and alcohol starts early, almost as soon
as kids leave elementary school. Although there's no evidence to show that
drug and alcohol use is beginning earlier than in previous decades, Mullaly
said the substances are more widely available than ever before. Because of
this fact, experimentation begins during the early teens, she said.

Richmond Coun. Linda Barnes, chair of the city's substance abuse task force,
called Clark's new program "very good news."

She said drug and alcohol abuse is similar to suicide a decade ago; it's
often an issue that's not discussed. She hopes the new program will help
kids understand the issues surrounding addiction - the causes and
consequences.

"The issue is not just about drugs, but about making good choices," she
said.
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