Benjamin Turner Academy wraps up Red Ribbon Week with special visit from Lieutenant Kenneth Bruce

Lieutenant Kenneth Bruce with the Mount Vernon Police Department stood in front of scholars at Benjamin Turner Academy and asked them “Are we going to do drugs?” with the crowd shouting “No!”, on Friday, October 25, 2024 during an anti-drug presentation to close out Red Ribbon Week.

Throughout Red Ribbon Week, individuals around the nation pledge to renew their commitment to living a healthy, drug-free lifestyle and learn more about the destructive effects of drug abuse.

“It’s an opportunity to educate children on the different types of drugs that are out there in the community,”  said Lieutenant Bruce. “Drugs they think may be safe such as nicotine, marijuana, we have vaping as well, and some kids think it’s okay; it actually leads to more dangerous drugs,”

During the presentation, Lieutenant Bruce talked to students about what drugs are, how they affect both the body and mind, risk factors of using different types of drugs such as stimulants, depressants and hallucinogens, as well as the dangers of vaping and smoking.