SCARE THEM STRAIGHT: PROGRAM SHOWS KIDS THE DANGERS OF
DRUGS

Eleven-year-old Cliffton Finch wrinkled his nose at the slice of
tumor-ridden, diseased lung in a plastic sandwich bag.

"It was a little nasty," he said later.

He and five of his classmates at Forest Hill Elementary in west
Mobile were learning firsthand about the dangers of drugs aboard
Mobile Infirmary's Drug Education Vehicle.

"I really liked when we got to look at the parts of the body," said
Roderick Ferrell, 10. "It was really interesting about the type of
damage you can do if you take alcohol or do drugs."

The air-conditioned trailer outfitted with posters, exhibits,
computers and media stations travels to schools and events throughout
southwest Alabama.

The most popular displays, at least according to the Forest Hill
children this past week, were the organ samples that showed healthy
and unhealthy slices of hearts, brains, lungs and livers.

Since 1994, more than 88,000 students have toured the vehicle; almost
6,000 visited it at 167 sites during the past school year alone,
according to hospital statistics.

John Aikens, a former Baker High School teacher who received a
nursing degree at Bishop State Community College, has been running
the show on the Drug Education Vehicle for the past 10= years.

"I really do in my heart think we're helping these kids make good
choices," Aikens said. "I've gotten remarkable comments from kids who
come back and say they remember us from years ago."

Fifth-graders are the target audience of the 45-minute tours, though
other grades are considered on a case-by-case basis, Aikens said.

Aikens explains to the students the consequences of tobacco and
alcohol abuse, then they get to peer into display cases showing
pickled body parts.

Short videos about drugs, including marijuana, cocaine and
hallucinogens, are available on individual media centers. Students
can decide which videos they want to watch.

"I didn't know you can die from all these things," said 10-year-old
Diara Jackson. "I learned we shouldn't do drugs because it's wrong."

Of course, some of the kids had heard the message at
home.

"My mom already told me all this stuff before," Finch said.