STARS HELP RAISE DRUG AWARENESS

School children began learning about the effects of tobacco,
painkillers, caffeine, alcohol and cannabis when a new drug education
programme kicked off in Invercargill.

Students Taking a Responsible Stand (Stars) aims to teach year 8
students the risks of drug-taking and giving them the skills to make
healthy decisions.

High-achieving sportspeople and senior high school students toured
Tweedsmuir Junior High, Ascot Community School and Collingwood
Intermediate to promote the message.

Cyclist Doug Bath, who has been a Tour of Southland winner, said
things were getting a lot more serious for kids at a younger age.

"She's all changing times. Everyone's growing up quicker and having to
make decisions earlier," he said.

The Stars programme is being co-ordinated by the Foundation for
Alcohol and Drug Education (Fade) in conjunction with employers in
communities which fund the scheme.

Fade executive director Colin Bramfitt said the internet, TV and
movies, such as American Beauty, all played a part in making kids more
aware of drugs than ever before.

"It's in your face," he said.

Fade was opposed to decriminalisation of cannabis because it would
shift the line towards harder drug use becoming more common, he said.