HIGH SCHOOLS NEED TO DO MORE: RCMP

Const. Richard DeJong, the RCMP's drug-awareness coordinator, describes
DARE as a "building block of prevention."

As students get older and face different social challenges, they need
different information to address those challenges.

"There's certainly the need" for a more co-ordinated high school prevention
program in this province, says DeJong. As it stands, response is primarily
"patchwork" with little or no dovetailing among programs and
district-specific efforts.

"Schools are just being reactive," he says. "You can't just leave it up to
the police to get the message out there. You need to look at it from all
different angles."

Vancouver police Insp. John De Haas says one organization is doing just
that. The Search Institute in Minneapolis conducted a study of 200,000
Grade 6 to 12 students, looking at the experiences young people need to
grow into healthy, well-rounded and caring adults. These include parental
involvement and relationships with others.

When the institute asked how many of the kids used illicit drugs three or
more times in the past 12 months, those with the fewest number of such
experiences were far more likely to answer that they had.