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New Educational Tools to Support Drug Prevention Program. Seeing whether your school has a drug problem, begins with what you CAN'T see. Background.
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New Educational Tools to Support Drug Prevention Program Seeing whether your school has a drug problem, begins with what you CAN'T see
Background • THE CONGRESS OF THE U.S.A. HAS DIRECTED THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF JUSTICE (NIJ) TO FUND AN EVALUATION OF A “NON-TOXIC AND NON CARCINOGETIC REAGENT BASED DETECTION AND IDENTIFICATION AEROSOL DESIGNED TO DETECT TRACE AMOUNTS OF ILLEGAL DRUGS IN SCHOOL AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTS” (US SENATE Report 106-404, p.61, September 8, 2000) • NIJ has entered into a cooperative agreement with Mistral to carry out this program. For nearly five years, Mistral has been funded by the U.S federal government
The Goal • To help schools with their drug prevention and deterrence activities. • The program designed to dramatically reduce drug use and abuse, among youth, through education and proactive prevention.
The Program • For the most part, school drug prevention programs are based on student surveys, written campaigns and drug education. Some schools use periodic canine searches of campuses, and random urine testing. • This program use non-intrusive environmental tools
The Program • We are learning about what is happening in the school, by gathering information about possible drug use. Non-intrusive drug prevention efforts start with detecting what we cannot see, drug residues on school surfaces. • The information that is collected benefits school officials and counselors in their respective responsibilities related to drug prevention. It helps to evaluate drug prevention programs/efforts and to modify them based on the knowledge about what types of drugs are being used in schools, what may be problem locations, and the frequency of positive drug findings.
The prevention efforts • Communication– providing for meaningful dialog between school officials and students, between school officials and parents, and between parents and students. • Deterrent- If the students are aware of the aerosol technology, they are less likely to use or abuse drugs because there is a greater risk of getting caught. • Peers Pressure- By having this technology, it provides kids with an "excuse" to avoid using drugs. This is an acceptable way for the child to say “no”.
Project Overview All information is confidential ! • No information about specific students is collected and no student need be tested in this program. No one other than school officials will know what was found in any specific school. • All of this is done without directly testing students. Rather, this drug detection technology tests surfaces that may contain drug residue caused by someone or something that has been contaminated by touching or being touched by illicit drugs.
Bathrooms Cars Backpacks What can we test Few Examples Furnishing Books Buildings Computers Hands Gym equipments
Teachers School nurse Who can perform the test Few Examples Counselor The students Board members School manager
Remember: a positive test result does not automatically mean the student uses illegal drugs. Trained substance-abuse counselor Discussion with parents Open discussion in the class What can we do when the test is positive Few examples Refer to treatment Police Suspending Enroll in a drug education course or activity
The Program in the US • Many schools around the U.S. are volunteering to participate in this program. • Participating schools are finding that this technology offers a new tool and range of options related to: - Detecting illicit drug residues on surfaces - Support drug prevention programs and activities - Helping to deter students from bringing drugs onto a school campus or to school functions.
The Program in the US What began as a hesitant or cautious participation has become a growing eagerness to participate and to use this technology for drug prevention purposes. Today, about 400 schools are participating at the program in 40 states.
The Program in the US Graphic Summary of Positive Findings From Jan 02
RESULTS Graphic Summary of Positive Aerosol Reactions
The Program in the US "The affect is shown in the following chart for the high school where the positive marijuana findings lowered each month." (City of Othello, Washington)
Learning from the experience of others This program is flexible, designed to fit each school • Informational tool – identify suspected or unknown substances;identify the types of drugs students are using in the school and where they are being used. • Deterrent - the fact that students know about a tool that will help identify drug use and possession, gives them another reason to not use or possess drugs at school. • Education – can be used as part of a drug education curriculum, where students can learn about what is being found in their school (as opposed to national statistics), and some classes even have students use the technology themselves . • Some schools have begun ‘school-parent' programs, where parents may bring belongings of a student to school for confidential testing. Some schools have even begun to offer confidential testing of possessions to the community or as part of other drug prevention programs outside of the school.
Learning from the experience of others • Monitoring tool - Monitor suspected locations • Students in extracurricular activities as a supplement to urine testing. • To insure that students in drug rehab or special drug education classes are not using drugs. For example, a classroom may be tested before students come into classes to be sure the room is free of drug residue. Then, when the students leave the class, the room is tested again for possible residue. • Investigations include identifying substances that are found, suspicious behavior or other evidence that suggests probable drug use or possession. • Intervention is used when in a positive test. Students in many cases are referred to counseling programs.
Learning from the experience of others • "The most positive outcome is probably the bridge between our school and the community. We have had several parents ask if they could borrow a kit to take home and check their child's room. Here again it is used for information sake only. The majority of the time we are not even aware for the results. However, it has allowed us to work with a parent in trying to identify/correct an illegal activity without involving the law or discipline. "(Warsaw High School) • “Parents have brought in personal possessions of their children and asked us to spray them when they suspect their child is using drugs. This is not used to punish a student. It is used to help parents verify if their child has been using drugs so they may provide intervention.” (Decatur city school)
Learning from the experience of others • “I have personally used it as part of my counseling tools in district homes in two ways. The first is breaking down denial pf the existence of dangerous substance and their use. The second, as creative tool for students retuning from treatment situation. The later use is being as a support to staying “clean and drug free” by checking bedrooms and personal items of recovering students”. (Toms River school) • “The spray is used as a deterrent and a way to detect when and where drugs are being used at the high schools and middle schools. The environmentally safe spray will not be used on any student, only on inanimate objects like lockers, walls, furniture and car doors. we will not use this to punish students, we will use this like we use drug testing. If we detect a student used drugs, we’ll do what we can to get that student help”. (Decatur School)
Aerosol technology Mistral’s drug detection aerosols will detect : • Marijuana, Hashish • Cocaine, Crack • Heroin • Methamphetamine,Amphetamine (Ecstasy)
Drug Aerosols • There is an aerosol for each major drug type: • Marijuana • Cocaine • Heroin • Methamphetamine • And a New Detect 4 Drugs aerosol: Heroin, Methamphetamine, Amphetamine, Cannabis, Ketamine
Technology Uses a Color Metric System • If testing results in a color from one of these charts, a substance is a drug, or a drug residue is present
TESTING SUSPICIOUS SUBSTANCES 1. SLIDE OUT COLLECTION PAPER FROM THE DISPENSER 1 2. PEEL OFF PROTECTIVE LAMINATION WHICH REVEALS THE STICKY SIDE TO BE USED FOR COLLECTING THE SUSPICIOUS MATERIAL OR TRACES 2
TESTING SUSPICIOUS SUBSTANCES 3 3. SWIPE SURFACE TO BE TESTED USING THE STICKY SIDE ON THE SURFACE/MATERIAL TO BE TESTED
Aerosol technology 4. BEGIN TESTING WITH THE DRUG DETECTION AEROSOL. SHAKE CAN BEFORE USE THEN SPRAY A SHORT BURST ON THE COLLECTION PAPER FROM A DISTANCE OF 10-15cm. 4
Wipe & Spray 5. OBSERVE FOR AN IMMEDIATE COLOR REACTION 5
