DARE PROGRAM SETS BAR HIGH FOR COWICHAN KIDS

You can call Rick Stewart a drug expert, but he's never used a single
illegal substance.

The retired Edmonton police officer, however, knows his substance
stuff as the instructor of the spring DARE program happening at 12
valley schools.

DARE, or Drug Abuse Resistance Education, focuses on marijuana,
alcohol and tobacco - the three substances kids are most likely to be
pressured into trying.

"The core we look at is talking about the three main drugs," Stewart
said of the program geared toward Grade 5 students. "But we use that
as a stepping stone to making good decisions."

Which is why DARE can also stand for Define, Assess, Respond and
Evaluate, a four-step method for making tough decisions.

Armed with more awareness of the consequences of drinking, smoking and
using drugs, plus a surefire formula for making good choices, students
are less likely to use harmful substances.

"There are some kids that will experiment and some that won't, but
it's interesting - I find we expect our kids to try drugs; we expect
our kids to drink," Stewart said. "I think we sometimes do our kids a
disservice by not holding them to a higher standard."

And the longer a young person refrains from trying these substances,
the less likely they are to become addicted to them.

Stewart pointed out the rate of human development means a 12-year-old
who tries a harmful substance will generally become addicted within
five weeks.

Between the ages of 15 and 18, the time is generally five
months.

But by 21 or older, it could take five years to become
addicted.

All the more reason to hold kids to a higher standard, Stewart
said.

"If you set the bar down low they'll hit it every time," he said. "If
you set it up high, they may not hit it but they'll work hard to get
there, and you'll encourage them.

"There's peer pressure to fit in and it's very awkward to be
excluded," Stewart added. "There are a lot of kids who want to be out
there with their friends but when they end up in those situations,
they don't enjoy themselves a whole lot."

Stewart has high hopes for Cowichan kids, though.

"The kids ask some really interesting questions," he said. "I've been
challenged quite a bit by the students here, who ask questions that
I've never really thought about. They're asking a lot about energy
drinks, they're asking about ecstasy, and one questions was how long
does smoke stay in the body? I can tell you about marijuana, I can
tell you about alcohol, but I never though about smoke. So they keep
me on my toes, which is good."

Stewart's also pleased to see students asking questions about
policing.

"That can ripple through the community," he said.

"DARE allows police officers to go in and build relationships with the
kids. Once they strip the veneer of the uniform away, and look at the
person behind the uniform, they realize police officers are just like
them and they develop a bond."