The Vernon School District is taking a proactive approach to battling the opioid crisis.

Rather than waiting for drug problems to develop, school counsellors, backed by the district, are tackling potential problems before they materialize through a new program.

Preventure, a school-based preventative drug and alcohol program, aims to reduce drug and alcohol use in high-risk teenagers.

"The starting point is prevention, then intervention," said Doug Rogers, district substance abuse prevention counsellor.

The Canadian-developed program screens Grade 8 students for four personality traits that are considered at risk: sensation-seeking, impulsiveness, anxiety sensitivity and hopelessness, as research indicates that up to 90 per cent of at risk youth can be identified from these traits.

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