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Teaching our children about the danger

It would be amazing, not to mention disturbing, if every public school in Ohio and West Virginia did not have some type of initiative to teach children about the dangers of drug abuse.

But how are educators tackling the problem? How effective are their efforts? What changes are needed?

A statewide committee in Ohio has been considering the substance abuse crisis since August. Last week, state Attorney General Mike DeWine revealed the panel’s recommendations.

Among them are that students in K-12 should be taught about drug abuse. Schools should be required to report what they are doing, the committee added.

In both Ohio and West Virginia, more attention needs to be paid to ensuring each and every school is using “best practices” in drug abuse education. Rather than allowing a scattergun approach — handouts and speakers scheduled mostly by finding out who’s available — schools simply must be using effective methods of discouraging drug abuse.

As matters stand, neither Ohioans nor West Virginians can be certain that is happening. That has to change.

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