PREVENTION IS KEY

The use and abuse of drugs is a serious concern amongst our community
and surrounding area. Directly or indirectly every community is
affected by abuse and addiction. Everybody knows someone who is
affected by drug abuse. Most people affected by drugs aren't users.
The improper use of legal substances such as alcohol and prescription
drugs as well as illegal substances such as marijuana, crystal meth,
cocaine and ecstasy take a tremendous toll, on our society at many
levels. This includes health care costs and costs associated to crime
and accidents. Drug abuse impacts the individual, their family and
their community. Prevention is key. Effective education and training
is the key to drug prevention. Early intervention through education
and training for our children and adolescents can have a significant
influence in their future decisions and choices.

In the upcoming 2008-09 school year in a cooperative venture with our
local schools Sergeant Robert DeGroot of the Hanover Police Service
will be introducing the D.A.R.E. Program to our children in Grades
6-8. The acronym D.A.R.E. is Drug Awareness Resistance Education. This
program is universally viewed as an internationally recognized model
of community-based policing and is taught in 43 countries around the
world.

The resistance education program is an extensive in-school program
taught by police officers in a series of classroom lessons that
teaches children how to resist peer pressure, make good life choices
and live productive, drug and violence free lives. After the
completion of the D.A.R.E. program there is a graduation held for
successful students.

D.A.R.E. gives children the skills needed to recognize and resist the
subtle and overt pressures that cause youth to experiment with drugs
or become involved in gangs or violent activities.