1. DRUGS Kaleigh Patterson, Emily Duncan, & Rinese Hanson

2. Street Drugs  In Texas, 200-300 cocaine overdose deaths are reported each year.  Over 80% of heroin users inject with a partner, yet 80% of overdose victims found by paramedics are found alone.  Marijuana is the most frequently used illegal drug in the United States. Nearly 69 million Americans over the age of 12 have tried marijuana at least once.  Women are more likely to use meth than cocaine.  Researchers at The Johns Hopkins University demonstrated that 4 days of exposure to the drug Ecstasy caused damage that persisted 6 to 7 years later.

3. Alcohol  It is important to start discussing alcohol use and abuse with students at an early age and keep discussing it with them as they age. The more you talk about it, the lower the chances of them trying alcohol.  The most crucial time to talk about alcohol abuse is between the ages 8 to 11 and/or 2 nd grade through 5 th. They tend to want to learn strange and random facts at this age. This is where you should implement statistics, ratios, short-term/long-term effects.  The younger you are when you start drinking, the greater your chance of becoming addicted to alcohol at some point in your life. More than 4/10 people who drank before 15 later became alcoholics.  Annually, about 5,000 youth under the age of 21 die from alcohol  Alcohol and drug prevention programs for elementary school children should target improving academic and social-emotional learning to address risk factors of drug and alcohol abuse

4. Prescription Pills  A licensed medicine that is regulated by legislation to require a medical prescription before it can be obtained. The term distinguishes it from over-the-counter drugs because those can be obtained without a prescription.  Prescription drugs are the second most commonly abused category of drugs, behind marijuana and ahead of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and other drugs.  Some prescription drugs can become addictive, especially when they are used inconsistently with their labeling or for reasons they were not prescribed.  Only take prescription that is prescribed for you!  Only take the amount the doctor recommends!

5. Extension  http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/talk/alcohol.ht ml# (Teacher/Parent) http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/talk/alcohol.ht ml#  www.abovetheinfluence.com www.abovetheinfluence.com (Student Website)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SWGadX7gsk (YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SWGadX7gsk  http://education.drugfreeworld.org/ http://education.drugfreeworld.org/ (Free Resources/Downloads)