A TRIP TO THE DRUG STORE

Students Exposed To Consequences Of Substance Abuse

OAKLAND - Shortly After peeking into a coffin, a teary-eyed Tiama Watson
proclaimed she's never doing drugs.

Mission accomplished.

Watson and 300 other seventh-graders from San Lorenzo's Edendale
Middle School participated in the Drug Store program Thursday at the
Dunsmuir House and Gardens in Oakland.

"Oh boy, I was scared. It was like, 'It could've been me,'" Watson
said.

What she and other students saw inside the coffin was a
mirror.

Several law enforcement agencies, including the Alameda County
Sheriff's Office, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the
Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, combined resources to host the
program designed to educate youth on making the right choices over
drug use and abuse.

"This isn't like a field trip where kids stand around and look," said
Casey McEnry, DEA special agent. "We make them participate and give
them a 'scared straight' type of experience. It's a great way to get
this information to children."

Groups of students traveled into nine tents set out along the
Dunsmuir grounds.Within each tent, students were put in real-life
situations revolving around the pressures, dangers and consequences
of using drugs.

Scenes included students seeing a classmate get peer pressured into
taking and overdosing on Ecstasy, a mock-emergency-room scenario and
funeral services.

School officials tout the importance of the program, which hit home
with many students, who were seen with their arms crossed and heads
down.

"This is so beneficial. It opens their eyes to see the decisions they
make go way beyond than just today," Superintendent Arnie Glassberg
said.

Created by the University of Alabama in 1993, officials say the
national program's name reflects the easy access to drugs on the
street compared to a drug store.

Thursday's event marked the growing program's third showcase to local
students since coming to the Bay Area last year.

"It's one thing to hear about it, but it takes on a whole new meaning
when you actually see it and participate in the program, which is why
I think it's been very successful," McEnry said.

Some students got the message loud and clear.

"Drugs not only can do harm to your body, but it also affects
everyone around me in my friends and family," student Matthew
Angenete said. "I really learned a lot today."

The Drug Store program is a collaborative effort of the Drug
Enforcement Administration, Alameda County Sheriff's Office and the
Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement. For further information, contact
your school resource officer or the state Department of Justice.