DARE Program Teaching Local Students Consequences of Substance Abuse It's a subject that some parents don't like to broach with their children, but the Ladysmith RCMP is taking a proactive approach to educating kids about drugs and alcohol. Students in Grade 5 are currently participating in the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program, a 10-week curriculum that will teach them facts about marijuana, alcohol and inhalants. They'll learn about self esteem, the value of friendships, and making good choices by using the Define, Assess, Respond, Evaluate decision making model. [continues 377 words]
OAKWOOD - An Oakwood Grade School sixth-grade teacher picked up an award this summer after being named the Drug Abuse Resistance Education -- D.A.R.E. -- Teacher of the Year Award for 2011. Sgt. Dan Auterman of the Vermilion County Sheriff's Department nominated Patti Wise due to her dedication and commitment to the program. Wise traveled to Matteson on June 17 to a police conference to receive the award, and gave an acceptance speech to the audience filled with other educators, Illinois D.A.R.E. officers and Illinois juvenile officers. [continues 698 words]
A new "Charter of Commitments and Principles" was implemented in Castlegar last week, which sees the RCMP team up with community groups to improve drug and alcohol awareness for youth. "If kids feel cared about by their parents and their community and school ... they have a good possibility of succeeding in life," Cpl. Marty Kooiman with the Drugs and Organized Crime Awareness Service said. As one of 14 co-ordinators across the province with the service, Kooiman said they began talking with researchers at Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia about how they could improve their programs. [continues 727 words]
The Summerland Child and Youth Committee would like to see an expansion of healthy choices and drug prevention strategies for children and youth in Summerland's schools. The committee is a community partnership made up of representatives from numerous government and community organizations. "We need to cover the full grade spectrum," said Sgt. Mona Kauffeld of the Summerland RCMP detachment. The most visible program is the DARE program taught to Grade 6 students. "The DARE program has been very successful in this community," Kauffeld said. "We get a lot of positive feedback about it." [continues 208 words]
Not all dares require a kid to lick the bottom of their shoe for three seconds. For the last 10 years, Constable Rose Grant has been daring kids to deal with drugs, alcohol and tobacco responsibly. The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program is a prevention program taught to Grade 5 students by a specially trained member of the RCMP. "It gives the kids knowledge to help them make good decisions," Grant said. To become a DARE teacher, the RCMP require a two-year commitment. Grant has put in 10 years -- one of the longest periods for a member in B.C. [continues 378 words]
House follows Senate in backing decriminalization Hartford - Connecticut is set to become the 14th state to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana after a bill to downgrade the penalties cleared the state House Tuesday on a 90-57 vote. The measure passed the Senate Saturday, and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said he will sign it into law. The bill does not affect the legality of marijuana, which remains illegal for nonmedical use in all 50 states. The bill reduces the penalty for possessing less than a half-ounce of marijuana from a crime with a potential prison sentence to a $150 violation on the first offense. Second and subsequent offenses carry a $200-$500 fine, and third-time offenders must enroll in a drug education program at their own expense. [continues 786 words]
The International War on Drugs Isn't Stopping Drug Use or Trafficking - -- but It Is Ruining Lives. Drug Policy Expert Sanho Tree Discusses What We Can Do Differently. Earlier this month tens of thousands of people marched in Mexico City to protest a war that has left more than 35,000 people dead in the last four and a half years. When elected president of Mexico in 2006, Felipe Calderon vowed to crack down on drug trafficking in his country. With the support of U.S. policies like the Merida Initiative [pdf], he executed a military crackdown that has only increased drug-related violence. [continues 2897 words]
Hi, I'm Robert with City Collective. We are a group of citizens who work together collectively to provide ourselves with an effective remedy for our health problems in accordance with State H&S code 11362.5 and the 10th Amendment to our U.S. Constitution. I am writing in response to the May 31 Coastal Voices piece authored by Roger Gitlin ("Just say no to marijuana.") As a Tea Party member like myself, I thought Mr. Gitlin would support free markets, constitutionally limited government and fiscal responsibility. On that notion I'd like to comment on a few of Mr. Gitlin's claims. [continues 929 words]
The latest East Kootenay Adolescent Drug Use Survey, conducted by the East Kootenay Addiction Services Society (EKASS), has found a positive change in behaviour among the youth of the region. The biennial survey (occurring once every two years) was sent to every one of the 5,124 students in Grades 7 to 12 in School Districts 5, 6, and 8. The return rate was almost 75 per cent, so analysis was conducted on 3,781 surveys. "As a sample, this is an excellent number to get results from," said Dean Nicholson, with EKASS. [continues 507 words]
I have been involved with DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) for 21 years. I have seen the positive effects that DARE has had on our children. I have had hundreds of students tell me they refused a drug offer because of their DARE officer. DARE is a proactive prevention program. It teaches students decision-making skills. DARE is a 10-week program taught to fifth-or sixth-graders. It teaches students about consequences, peer pressure, ways to say no to offers, violence prevention, decision making, gangs, Internet safety, over-the-counter-/prescription-drug abuse, bullying and more. [continues 89 words]
As recently as two weeks ago, leading Liberals were sneering that the Tories' quartet of tough-oncrime bills were, in fact, "dumb on crime." Punishing young and adult offenders with longer sentences and tougher parole conditions would do nothing, the Libs scoffed, to make Canadian streets safer. What was needed was more money for crime prevention. Attack the root causes of crime, they urged. Throw money at poverty-reduction programs and campaigns to encourage poor young people to stay in school, avoid drugs and alcohol, and take job training. What's needed to reduce crime, the party and its leader Michael Ignatieff argued, is to recognize the good in every boy and bring it out of him before he strays into a life of addiction, unemployment and crime. [continues 599 words]
AURORA - Concerned parents attended a special informational meeting with Aurora Public Schools officials tonight after an in-school police officer was arrested Monday on child exploitation charges. Reporters were told to leave the administrative building. A school system spokeswoman said media was excluded on the advice of the district's lawyer. APS Superintendent John L. Barry said in statement that the meeting was closed because "we wanted an environment that was comfortable for parents and staff to ask questions and share concerns. [continues 491 words]
Re: "DARE extends its reach with new program," (Aberni Valley Times, March 18) As a federally licenced medical marijuana user who is also married to one, I consider DARE nothing less than a government sponsored hate-crime. Also, the fact that taxpayers' dollars are used for this fear and fealty campaign is sick and reprehensible in the extreme. It should be illegal to go into schools and deliberately frighten and mislead kids, but no, we use taxpayers' dollars and send cops in to do it. It isn't just irresponsible, it is obscene. [continues 360 words]
Their mandate is still "drug abuse resistance education," but the DARE program is moving beyond a single classroom program for Grade 5 students. Last week haahuupayak Elementary held a graduation ceremony for 19 students who successfully completed the 10-week program. In welcoming the families, Tseshaht Chief Councillor Les Sam, who built the school, said his nation takes pride in supporting the DARE program. "I can say we have a very good working relationship with the RCMP," he said. "Congratulations to you all, and especially to your parents, because they're the ones who get you up in the morning to get to school." [continues 251 words]
Busting marijuana grow ops and providing on-lake enforcement will continue to be priorities for the RCMP in Sicamous. Last summer was one of the best years yet for enforcement on the lake, Sicamous RCMP Sgt. Carl Vinet explained to district council at its Feb. 23 committee of the whole meeting. The successful season, Vinet said, was largely due to a relationship with other detachments and government agencies who worked together on a lake enforcement initiative that included a multi-agency blitz on the August long weekend. [continues 671 words]
Warning - Police Warn Students of New Highly Addictive Drug on the Market That Could Ruin Their Lives SAINT JOHN - A dangerous new form of ecstasy is turning up in schools throughout the region, police say. Drug dealers are turning to young teens as a lucrative market for ecstasy laced with methamphetamine - a highly addictive and toxic substance. The pills come in all different colours, with graphics such as Transformers or kangaroos and names such as Facebook. "There's no question about it. They've recognized that ecstasy is a gateway to the kids," said Sgt. John Wilcox, who heads the street crimes unit for the Saint John Police Force. "It's a way of increasing their addictive base." [continues 635 words]
Positive Decisions, Positive Choices begins March 8 Trent Hills -- The Trent Hills Community Policing committee wants young people to make positive decisions when confronted with the lure of drugs and alcohol. That's why the committee is partnering with Campbellford District High School, the Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit and Forecast and Rebound to hold the third annual Positive Decisions, Positive Choices program March 8 at the high school. "It's to educate the kids about what drugs are, and what it can do to their bodies, as well as the local ramifications of getting involved with drugs," said policing committee spokeswoman Janice Allen. [continues 259 words]
The West Shore RCMP is looking for motivated volunteers to help keep young people on the right track and away from substance abuse. The detachment is rolling out its Community Prevention Education Continuum program (CPEC), which involves community members talking to high school students about making wise choices. "We're looking for great people willing to donate a bit of time," said RCMP Cpl. Scott Hilderley, the CPEC program co-ordinator. "If we get 50 people, we'll find 50 ways for people to help." [continues 349 words]
Last Thursday, President Barack Obama took questions submitted online in video and text format in the spirit of his State of the Union address two days earlier. The President has conducted these in previous years, but this year's town hall was a bit different. The most popular video this year was one from retired deputy sheriff MacKenzie Allen, a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). He took his time to ask the president whether there should come a time for us to discuss the possibility of legalization, regulation and control of all drugs in hopes of an alternative to the current system of zero-tolerance prohibition. Where the President would've laughed this question off to the anxious-to-please audience in D.C. in years past, this year he chose to air and answer Mr. Allen's question. [continues 603 words]
Re: Loss of police liaison officer will hurt the youth in school system (Alberni Valley Times, Jan. 22) Good intentions are no substitute for effective drug education. Independent evaluations of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) have found the program to be ineffective or counterproductive. DARE's scare tactics do more harm than good. Students who realize they've been lied to about marijuana may make the mistake of assuming that harder drugs like methamphetamine are relatively harmless as well. This is a recipe for disaster. [continues 136 words]
