Over 850 students from 24 Lambton County schools will visit Sarnia's River City Vineyard over the next three days for the Racing Against Drugs program.
A dozen pit-stops are set up to teach Grade 5 students how to navigate through life's obstacles and make healthy, personal safety and substance-free choices.
Blue Water Bridge Customs Officer Stacey Luckhurst had three display cases set up for students.
"We've brought in some prohibited items that get brought across the border, where the importation of them is illegal," says Luckhurst. "We've also brought some drug testing kits to explain to the kids what they look for and how we test for them. Our final display case has items used in the drug trade and their users. They are every day items that the kids may not have realized can be used or what they are used for."
Luckhurst says the students and many of the teachers have a lot of questions and are shocked by some of the items.
"In the drug paraphernalia case we have soothers, and everyone looks at the soothers and wonders why. When a person uses certain drugs, like MDNA 'Molly' or 'ecstasy,' those drugs cause a response in your central nervous system and cause you to clench your jaw, break your teeth, bite your tongue, so the kids and young people that were using the drugs started bringing in soothers," she says."They suck on them and it stops that sensation from happening."
Alex Bruce from Kinnwood Central School in Forest said he was learning a lot.
"I'm learning that there's a lot of dangerous weapons that robbers and bandits use and I'm learning that drugs can be dangerous for your brain and heart," says Bruce.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving, St. Clair Child and Youth, Rebound, Sarnia Fire and Rescue Services and Sarnia Police were among the community groups participating.
