05/14/2012 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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D.A.R.E Essay D.A.R.E. stands for drug abuse resistance education. I have learned many things in the D.A.R.E. program about tobacco, drugs and alcohol. Some of the facts I learned in D.A.R.E about tobacco are that more than 400,000 people die of smoking cigarettes each year and that it can put your family and friends at risk. That about 3,000 nonsmokers dies of lung cancer each year from breathing second hand smoke. Cigarettes contain nicotine — a very additive substance but also have 200 known poisons in cigarette smoke. Smoking is a very common cause of lung cancer, - also a leading cause of cancer of the mouth, throat, bladder, and the kidney. Smokers also have more colds and upper respiratory problems. It also may alter your appearance by drying out your skin, making your teeth yellow and gives you bad breath. Marijuana is another form of tobacco but is also an illegal drug. Much like tobacco, marijuana causes breathing problems and users have more colds and upper respiratory problems. But it also affects your brain and body for example, you can have short -term memory loss, a hard time concentrating, it can slow your coordination and reflexes and it can affect your ability to judge distance, speed and reflection time — these are important in sports or even riding a bike. It is also very addictive and there is more tar in marijuana smoke than in tobacco smoke. There is an increased risk of cancer with marijuana users and that marijuana smoke contains 50% - 70% more of some cancer causing chemicals than tobacco smoke. Alcohol is illegal for anyone under the age of 21 years old. Mixing alcohol with medicine is very dangerous. Alcohol can slow down your brain and body such as a loss of coordination, poor judgment, slowed reflexes, memory lapses, loss of self - control and slurred speech. Too much alcohol can slow down the body and lead to coma and death. Alcohol can damage every organ in your body. Drinking alcohol and driving is also very dangerous and could cause you to get in an accident and hurt yourself or others. All these facts I've told you already are all TRUE facts!!!! During my time in the D.A.R.E. program I have learned many things. I have learned about the effects of tobacco, drugs and alcohol and all the damage they can cause. I have also learned about the effects of peer pressure and how to avoid being put in a risky position. The best thing to do is just say NO to anyone offering you cigarettes, alcohol or drugs.