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Sheriff, District 50 team up for Project 7th grade
Contributed by: Adams County Sheriffs Office on 10/11/2006

Adams County Sheriff Doug Darr and the Adams County School District 50 Superintendent Roberta Selleck Ph. D. announced that they will be a host site for Project 7th Grade, a national initiative of the notMYkid organization.

The program is designed to educate parents, schools, and children on substance abuse prevention. The program includes a presentation on effective means for families to communicate and prevent teenagers from abusing prescription and illicit drugs.

Project 7th Grade serves as a family-oriented prevention resource that helps parents develop plans to communicate and maintain an early, but ongoing dialogue with their children about the perils of substance abuse, incorporating drug testing as a cornerstone of deterrence.

This presentation will be held on Oct. 25 at 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Clear Lake Middle School 1940 Elmwood Lane, Denver, Colorado and on Oct. 26 at 5:30 pm. and 7 p.m. at Scott Carpenter Middle School 7001 Lipan Street inDenver. All parents of School District 50 students are invited to attend. As part of the program, parents who complete the educational components of the program are provided a free home drug testing kit.

"Project 7th Grade is unique because it encourages proactive, two-way communications between parent and child to prevent drug use before it has had a chance to occur," said Natalie Ehmka, Program Coordinator of Project 7th Grade. "We provide the essential resources so that parents can develop their own family substance abuse prevention plans based on their own particular circumstances, as well as test kits to serve as an effective deterrent and means for teenagers to escape peer pressure."

While the organization has in the past distributed educational materials and test kits to parents to detect illicit drug use, more recent data and concerns from parents, schools, and legislators has prompted Project 7th Grade to provide newly expanded resources and test kits that also look for prescription drug abuse, which has become a rising epidemic among teenagers.

Darr said, "Our communities and society are different today, and it is imperative that parents take an active role in this fight against drugs. We can no longer sit back and just expect others to be the leading force. As we fight the battle on the street we need parents to fight the battle in their homes. By creating this partnership with the Sheriff's Office, School District 50, and parents we are making the statement and taking a stand against drugs in our schools, communities, and homes."

Selleck said, "While it is important to talk with our children about drugs, sometimes talking is not enough. Project 7th Grade adds an important component that can deter a child from trying or experimenting with drugs while adding piece of mind for parents."

During 2005, Project 7th Grade was successfully rolled out in cities such as Phoenix, Cincinnati, Dallas and Omaha. This year, the program has already received invitations from schools in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Miami and Pittsburgh; with pending initiatives to soon be engaged in 25 cities by the fall of this year.

Following the recent release of the Monitoring the Future Survey conducted by the University of Michigan, which showed continued, upward trends in prescription drug abuse among youth, Dr. Nora D. Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) stated, "Prescription drugs are very powerful medicines that are effective when used properly and with a doctor's supervision. Using these drugs without a prescription is dangerous. It is imperative that teens get this message."

National Institutes for Health (NIH) Director Dr. Elias Zerhouni also stated following the release of the Survey that, "...the upward trend in prescription drug abuse is disturbing. We need to ensure that young people understand the very real risks of abusing any drug."

For additional information on Project 7th Grade, please contact Ehmka at (602) 652-0163 or Natalie@notMYkid.org or visit www.project7thgrade.org or www.notMYkid.org.



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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

John Eisel

Denver , COLORADO

John Eisel has posted 2865 stories and 12 comments since joining on 9/14/2005. John Eisel's average story rating is 4.39.
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