Nearly 1,500 Pattaya students now know to “just say no” to drugs after completing their 13-week Drug Abuse Resistance Education course.
Deputy Mayor Vichien Pongpanit handed out certificates to the 1,448 fifth-graders from city schools 1-10 March 2 at the Eastern National Indoor Sports Stadium. Also attending were top local government, police and education officials.
D.A.R.E., founded in 1983 in the United States, came to Thailand in 1999 and works to give kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs, and violence. Lessons aim to give children the skills needed to recognize and resist the subtle and overt pressures that cause them to experiment with drugs or become involved in gangs or violent activities.
Courses are taught for an hour each week by uniformed officers of the Banglamung and Pattaya police stations.
