SCHOOL DRUG PREVENTION PROGRAM USING D4D SURFACE TESTING KIT
In 2000 the congress of the USA directed the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) to support a drug prevention program in schools. The National Institute of Justice entered into a cooperative agreement to carry out this program. This program is starting its fifth year, providing schools officials with an opportunity to assess a technology that may well prove to be a highly effective tool for deterring drug use within educational environments. The program has grown to where it now involves over 400 schools in 40 states in the USA.
The Goal is to help schools with their drug prevention and deterrence activities. The objective is to engage schools in an evaluation of how this educational tool can be applied to and benefit school drug prevention efforts. This program supports the fact that drug prevention is most effective when it combines drug education with tools that help to deter drug use. This program offers schools something they have not had previously: a non-intrusive informational tool that gives officials the ability to learn about what drugs are being brought into schools; how frequently; and what might be problem locations. All of this can be done without directly testing students. Rather, this drug detection & identification 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.
Besides being an amazing informational and monitoring tool, this technology provides an excellent means for assessing the effectiveness of current drug prevention policies and programs. Some schools use this technology as an educational tool, to learn first-hand what type of drugs students may be bringing into their school. This has more impact on students than using national statistics as facts about drug use.
The Goal is to help schools with their drug prevention and deterrence activities. The objective is to engage schools in an evaluation of how this educational tool can be applied to and benefit school drug prevention efforts. This program supports the fact that drug prevention is most effective when it combines drug education with tools that help to deter drug use. This program offers schools something they have not had previously: a non-intrusive informational tool that gives officials the ability to learn about what drugs are being brought into schools; how frequently; and what might be problem locations. All of this can be done without directly testing students. Rather, this drug detection & identification 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.
Besides being an amazing informational and monitoring tool, this technology provides an excellent means for assessing the effectiveness of current drug prevention policies and programs. Some schools use this technology as an educational tool, to learn first-hand what type of drugs students may be bringing into their school. This has more impact on students than using national statistics as facts about drug use.
Overall, this:
- Technology offers a wide range of possible uses - School officials are finding that this tool allows them to pursue drug prevention in ways that could not have done as easily or effectively as before
- Technology is proving to be a deterrent - When students know what the technology can do, the number of drug “incidents” has gone down significantly
- In brief, this technology is working in schools - Providing information not previously possible - As a monitoring/prevention tool
