Valerie's Candy Mountain: October 2010

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

D.A.R.E.: Ripping Families Apart Since 1983

When it comes to its stated mission—keeping school-age children from trying illicit drugs—the D.A.R.E. program has been a failure. But D.A.R.E. does have a fun history of teaching kids to turn their pot-smoking parents in to the police. It happened again last week: The 11-year-old student is in 5th grade at a an elementary school in Matthews. Police say he brought his parents’ marijuana cigarettes to school when he reported them. Matthews Police say he reported his parents after a lesson about marijuana was delivered by a police officer who is part of the D.A.R.E. program, which teaches kids about the dangers of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. “Even if it’s happening in their own home with their own parents, they understand that’s a dangerous situation because of what we’re teaching them,” said Matthews Officer Stason Tyrrell. That’s what they’re told to do, to make us aware.”.. Police arrested the child’s 40-year-old father and 38-year-old mother on Thursday. Both were charged with two misdemeanor counts each of marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia. They were not jailed and were released on a written promise to appear in court… Police say both the 11-year old and a sibling have been removed from the parents’ house by social services. Proving once again that pot ruins lives. Not because of the drug itself, but because of what the government will do to you if they catch you with it.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Oral sex cancer risk to be tackled by documentary

One of the last taboos in sexual health is to be tackled by the BBC in an hour-long film presented by the film star Jaime Winstone. The investigation tackles the link between oral sex and rising numbers of mouth and throat cancer cases among young Britons – described this weekend as "an emerging epidemic" by a Cancer Research UK expert. Rates of oral cancers have gone up by 50% in men since 1989 and are rising by 3% a year in women, even as smoking, once thought to be the major cause, declines. Oral cancers now kill 1,800 people a year. Scientists have provided growing evidence over the last decade of the link between the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is passed from person to person during sexual activity, and an increased risk of developing oral cancer. It is better known as a major cause of cervical cancer. "The evidence suggests that people are more likely to have an HPV-linked cancer if they have had multiple sexual partners and practised oral sex, whether they are men or women," said Dr Lesley Walker, cancer information director at Cancer Research UK. Winstone's documentary could have a very useful role to play, she added. Vaccination of schoolgirls against HPV should ultimately reduce the level of infection, she added, but condom use is already proven to lessen the risk.