ELEMENTARY SCHOOL HOSTING RACE AGAINST DRUGS PROGRAM

More that 600 school children are expected to take part in the RCMP Racing
Against Drugs program when it visits West Prince later this month.

West Prince RCMP Const Carlo Bernard said Tignish Elementary School will
host the event this year, with students from Alberton, Bloomfield, O'Leary
and St Louis Elementary schools bussed in to the event.

Racing Against Drugs 'RAD,' is a drug and alcohol awareness program
developed in partnership by the RCMP and various other organizations.
Designed to provide police officers, education and addiction counsellors
with an exciting alternative teaching aid, RAD has become a popular program
across the country.

The community-based drug and alcohol program that has been developed to
help promote a healthy drug-free lifestyle explained Const Bernard. 'Kids
need to learn how to say no to drug and alcohol use at an early age.'

The program is part of the RCMP community based policing concept and was
started in Ontario in 1993.

Its objectives include promoting healthy, drug free lifestyles in
communities and reminding parents and children that drug and alcohol abuse
is a growing family concern.

The RCMP drug awareness co-ordinator for the West Prince detachment, Const
Bernard said the main focus of this program is children aged five to 13
years old.

The primary objective, of this drug education is to utilize the sport of
car racing to capture the attention of young people and expose them to an
exciting and high profile sport - one with no tolerance for substance abuse.