DA'S HEROIN PREVENTION PROGRAM WINS AWARD

Essex District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett's "Choose to Refuse: A
Heroin and OxyContin Prevention Education Program," has won an
Outstanding Achievement Award from the Executive Office of Public Safety.

Secretary of Public Safety Robert Haas said the reviewers were
impressed by the program's innovative approaches to public safety.

The award was presented at a ceremony in the Nurses Hall at the
Massachusetts State House in Boston Thursday, July 20. Only four
Outstanding Achievement Awards were presented statewide. The
Executive Office of Public Safety also presented eight Meritorious
Achievement Awards.

The Choose to Refuse program, which is designed for middle and high
school students, is based on the premise that if youth learn the
facts about heroin and OxyContin, they will be better able to make
informed decisions not to use those drugs.

The curriculum includes question-and-answer discussions about the
drugs, role playing activities and provides fact sheets with
information about heroin and OxyContin, including the physical, legal
and social consequences of their use. It also includes film clips
highlighting the lessons learned throughout the program, and provides
a personal plan for students to say no to drugs. In addition, it
furnishes a guide to help them create their own public service announcement.