DARING TO SAY NO TO DRUGS

DARE Program Teaching Local Students Consequences of Substance Abuse

It's a subject that some parents don't like to broach with their
children, but the Ladysmith RCMP is taking a proactive approach to
educating kids about drugs and alcohol.

Students in Grade 5 are currently participating in the DARE (Drug
Abuse Resistance Education) program, a 10-week curriculum that will
teach them facts about marijuana, alcohol and inhalants. They'll
learn about self esteem, the value of friendships, and making good
choices by using the Define, Assess, Respond, Evaluate decision making model.

In the coming weeks, Grade 7 students will receive an advanced
curriculum that focuses on social pressures, targeted marketing and
refusal strategies such as "'Keeping it REAL' (Refuse, Explain,
Avoid, and Leave).

"oeLadysmith is one of the few communities in B.C. that's going to
get both curriculums," said Cpl. Dave Cusson RCMP drug and organized
crime awareness co-ordinator, Central Island. "oeWe're very happy about that."

Ladysmith RCMP Const. Jo Anne Ruppenthal is a trained DARE officer
and spends one hour a week with each class administering the program
on top of her other duties with the detachment.

"oeIn a small town like this, a lot of kids feel like they're bored
and they don't have anything to do so they get into bad or risky
behaviour," she said. "oeGiving them the tools at this early stage
so they can practice it at a low level risk before they enter high
school is a great opportunity."

While she doesn't think drugs are an issue with youth in Ladysmith,
it is an unavoidable fact that they are everywhere, Ruppenthal said.

"oeIt could be inside the home, it could be outside the home at a
corner store with friends," she said.

She added a lot of kids are not aware of the consequences that come
along with substance use.

"oeIf a child chooses to try drugs... it's a choice they should be
educated about and the consequences for making that choice," she
said. "oeTheir first time could be their last time."

The DARE program is a foundational part of the RCMP's community
prevention education continuum which focuses on K-12.

"oeOur drug prevention strategy involves all the community," Cusson
said. "oeWe realize as a police force we can't do it all, we require
the community to help and we're finding in our research that the more
people involved in drug prevention throughout their K-12 years, the
more apt they're not going to be involved in addiction or usage."

Cusson encouraged local organizations, parents, PACS and other
concerned citizens to get involved with drug awareness education in
the community.

For more information on the DARE program, visit www.rcmpda.com and
www.darebc.com.