DARE officers discuss critical concerns at Carson City conference

DARE officers from around the state are in Carson City today for a conference to discuss school programs, curriculum and prevention issues.
The DARE curriculum is developed by educators and taught by trained officers. It focuses on responsibility, resisting peer pressure, facts about drug abuse and techniques in making good decisions. It has components for elementary, middle, high school and after school programs.
Officers spent Tuesday and today talking about some of the latest trends in drug use among school children. In the northern part of the state, as well as southern Nevada, school and DARE officials are specifically targeting prescription drug and methamphetamine use, said Don Boulden, Nevada DARE Office Association president. While "gateway drugs" such as marijuana, alcohol and tobacco continue to be an issue, there is concern that prescription drugs, lifted from parents medicine cabinets, is becoming more common.

"DARE is a K-12 program, but it is in the fifth and sixth grade and the seventh and eighth grade where we want to make an impact because that's when these kids are the most vulnerable," Boulden said.
The good is is a 2009 survey called "Monitoring the Future"that drug use among eighth graders has been on the decline in the areas of methamphetamine, cocaine, alcohol, cigarette smoking and hallucinogens. On the other hand, prescription drugs such as Vicodin and OxyContin have increased among 10th graders but have remained unchanged among eighth graders.

Photo information:

From left to right the Nevada DARE program board of directors are Mark Sharp, John Lybbert, Doug Farinholt, Louis Ricco, Don Boulden, Emma Terriquez, Teresa Duffy, Ed Schumacher, Chris Griffiths, Bill Chavera, and Carson City DARE officer Lisa Davis.