Pubdate: Sun, 13 Mar 2005
Source: Morning Star, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005 The Morning Star
Contact:  http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1352
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

BENCHMARKS IN DRUG ABUSE PREVENTION

Students should know and understand the following concepts:

Kindergarten to Grade 2:

- - Know the difference between healthy and unhealthy foods. - Can identify 
poisonous and harmful substances commonly found in the home. - Can explain 
that prescription medicines are drugs that can help the person for whom 
they are meant but that can harm anyone else - especially children, who 
must stay away from them.

By Grade 3:

- - How food, poisons, medicines and illegal drugs differ. - Prescribed 
medicines are for sick people only. - Why adults may drink but children may 
not, even small amounts - it's harmful to children's developing brains and 
body.

By Grade 7:

- - The ability to resist drug use peer pressure. - The negative impact of 
drug use. - The immediate effects of alcohol, tobacco and drug use on 
different parts of the body, including risks of coma or fatal overdose. - 
The long-term consequences - how and why drugs are especially dangerous for 
growing bodies. - The problems that alcohol and other illegal drugs cause 
not only to the user, but the user's family and world. - Student can 
describe healthy habits - e.g. exercise, proper nutrition, hygiene, stress 
management. - Healthy use of medication. - Dangers of smoking.

By Grade 10:

- - The ability to resist drug use peer pressure. - The negative impact of 
drug use. - The short-term effects of tobacco and marijuana use - bad 
breath, stained teeth. - The long-term effects of drug use - lack of 
crucial social and emotional skills ordinarily learned during adolescence; 
the risk of lung cancer and emphysema from smoking, fatal or crippling car 
accidents and liver damage from heavy drinking; addiction, brain coma and 
death.

By Grade 12:

- - The ability to resist drug use pressure. - How alcohol, tobacco and other 
drug consumption during pregnancy has been linked with birth defects in 
newborns. - The potentially deadly effects of combining drugs. - How drug 
use can ruin chances of getting into university, being accepted by the 
military or being hired for certain jobs. - Understand the difference 
between medically used marijuana and illegal use. - Possess a strong 
understanding of the dangers of substance abuse.
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MAP posted-by: Beth