STUDENTS PUT PEDAL TO METAL WITH POLICE IN RACE AGAINST DRUGS

NIAGARA FALLS -- Students from across Niagara got a crash course in
substance abuse, injury prevention and healthy lifestyle choices last
week during the Racing Against Drugs program held at the Optimist Club.

The annual event offers information on the subjects to Grade 5
students through 13 interactive "pit stops" run by a number of
agencies including the Niagara Regional Police, Ontario Provincial
Police, RCMP and the YMCA.

"It has been determined that (Grade 5) is the age they're most
receptive to receiving this information," said Racing Against Drugs
chair Sgt. Debbie Beaulieu of the NRP community services unit.

The Racing Against Drugs program provides an opportunity to learn
about bullying, youth gambling and border services, along with drugs,
alcohol and personal health.

"This is a venue by which 1,500 more kids can catch that message,"
Beaulieu said.

A new pit stop for 2006 dealt with Alcohol Advertising, run by
Niagara Public Health. With the aid of an interactive spinning wheel,
students were quizzed on booze ads, liability and drunk driving. The
goal was to instill a recognition of alcohol advertising and better
understand the power of marketing on personal opinions.

"The media by which the kids are inundated with these ideas has
expanded exponentially," said Beaulieu. "The exposure is
10-fold--through TV and the Internet of course --they're restricted
only by their imagination."