Tag: Focus

Drug education program in schools to include focus on fentanyl: 'Just Say No was not enough'

The current fentanyl crisis has caused a shift in drug education. Now, schools and police departments feel children as young as the 5th grade should learn about the dangers of hard drugs.

The D.A.R.E. America program has been around since 1983, and originally taught kids to “Just Say No to Drugs.” Now, its message is changing, and Venina Smith says her son could have benefited from the updated curriculum.

“My son passed away on Sept. 16, 2020, from fentanyl poisoning. He was 40 when he passed away, and he had been dealing with addiction and mental health for a number of years since he was a teenager,” Smith said. 

Smith said her son’s drug addiction started in middle and high school even though he received D.A.R.E.’s police-led Drug Abuse Resistance Education. She believes the program needed an upgrade.

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“It was outdated. ‘Just Say No’ was not [enough],” Smith said. “Just say no, but say no to what?’

Now, the federally-funded program’s curriculum has shifted to “Keeping It Real.”

Dennis Osborn serves as D.A.R.E. America’s western regional director. Osborn says the updated curriculum helps bring awareness to the harsh realities of new drugs and the consequences of addiction. 

“We start teaching them in about the 8th grade, and middle school, about addiction cycles and how the brain works and how it can get addicted to certain substances like heroin, fentanyl, opioids,” Osborn said.

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The CDC reported monthly overdose deaths involving fentanyl for people ages 10 to 19 increased over 180% from 2019 to 2021.

The Houston Independent School District re-initiated it’s D.A.R.E. program in the fall of 2020. Brittany Burden, who serves as a Houston ISD D.A.R.E. officer, said drugs are changing and advancing – daily. 

“Five or 10 years ago, we didn’t know exactly the extent of the problem with fentanyl, and so now our kids are exposed to it. They can get it as easily as it being in some food or getting from some candy from one of their classmates,” Burden said.

In 2021, D.A.R.E. added a fentanyl fact sheet to its program – a change Smith says could help save lives.

“Some children start experimenting at about 12,” Burden said. “If we don’t get the message out about what these drugs are doing, and how fentanyl is involved with a lot of these illegal drugs, kids will think ‘oh, it might be OK.'”

D.A.R.E. reports approximately 6,000 law enforcement agencies – nearly one-third of America’s departments – incorporate their officers in schools across the country. 

In addition to a newfound focus on fentanyl education as the opioid crisis rages, there are other school programs similar to D.A.R.E., such as The All Stars Core Program and the Child Development Project, that address teen suicide and social media safety awareness.

Kuster, Burns focus on inflation, abortion in race for New Hampshire's 2nd Congressional District

U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster said her Republican challenger was concealing his position on abortion legislation, while Robert Burns accused the five-term Democratic incumbent of not doing enough in Congress to deal with rising costs during their second and final debate Friday.

The two candidates for New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District agreed during their WMUR-TV debate on tax exemptions and credits for people who are making their homes more energy efficient, but differed on the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program for families.

Burns, who runs a quality control and pharmaceutical safety company, said he would not support the program. “What we need to do is lower the cost of energy for everybody, not just a select few that are going to get a $500 voucher,” he said. Kuster supports the program and asked for more money.

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In bringing down costs overall, Kuster said she believes in a multi-pronged approach, including the production of lower-cost food closer to home. Burns said he is in favor of opening up more gasoline production in the United States and building new plants to process diesel fuel.

“The Biden administration was in complete denial over the inflation and the oncoming economic disaster that we’re heading towards right now,” Burns said. “She’s been in there for 10 years. They haven’t been able to take care of these problems.”

Kuster responded that New Hampshire is “woefully behind” neighboring states in using solar energy. She said she was pleased about the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes investment in renewable energy.

“We can’t keep chasing oil and gas and pipelines forever,” she said.

Burns said Congress should have been working on investing in nuclear power and advancing battery technology years ago, but now, “it’s a little late.”

“But why is the state dragging their feet on the net-metering? That’s a big problem here,” Kuster said.

“Are you running for governor or Congress?” Burns said.

On the subject of abortion, Burns, who is pro-life, said he supports a federal “heartbeat bill” banning abortion at 12 to 15 weeks. He said he has always agreed there should be an exception for the life of the mother.

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Kuster, who supports the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would protect the right to access abortion care nationwide after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, said Burns was attempting to change his position.

She said Burns has described himself as “100 percent pro-life at conception” and that Republicans in Congress are sponsoring a bill that would ban abortion at conception. She said the legislation that Burns supports would criminalize abortion, putting women and doctors in jail.

“Well, of course, that’s completely untrue,” Burns, adding, “this is absolute fear-mongering.”

NEW HAMPSHIRE BATTLEGROUND POLL SHOWS KEY SENATE SHOWDOWN IS DOWN TO THE MARGIN OF ERROR

On other topics, both candidates disagreed with a decision by Florida’s governor to pay for flights from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard that carried migrants who entered the country illegally. They also were against the setup of immigration checkpoints on New Hampshire highways.

Deal with to Focus on Results in 2006– Website Results, That Is!

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