Placer County teens write children’s book informing youth about substance abuse

Confident and clad in custom turquoise T-shirts, six high school students stood in front of the board of supervisors Tuesday to celebrate their latest accomplishments and call special attention to one: a children’s book they would soon publish on the dangers of substance abuse.

Benny and the Forbidden Garden, a 28-page book conceptualized and written by high-schoolers on the Placer County Youth Commission, follows a bunny who starts school and encounters a forbidden garden lush with intoxicating flowers. As the flowers cause a decline in his friends’ health and well-being, Benny must learn to navigate peer pressure and ask adults for help.

The book, along with discussion questions and guiding activities for teachers, will be distributed to schools across Placer County at the start of the next academic year. Its publication will mark another step forward in Placer County’s robust campaign against substance abuse.

Established in 2009 by District 3 Supervisor Jim Holmes, the Placer County Youth Commission offers 21 students the opportunity to advise the Board of Supervisors on issues important to youth in the county. In the past, the commission had designed curricula for high-schoolers, but after learning that more than 10% of eighth-grade students had reported using drugs, this year’s commission decided to focus on early education.

“We wanted to do something more on the creative side,” said Commissioner Arini Tandon, an incoming senior at Whitney High School. “Something a little bit different that hadn’t been done before.”

Though the youth commission has explored other issues over the years, such as mental health awareness and financial literacy, substance abuse prevention has remained top-of-mind throughout its 16-year history. Several of the students said they had personally witnessed peers or family members struggling with substance abuse, which has added urgency to the issue for them.

“I was drawn to the subcommittee because of how real the issue feels at school,” said Ashley Kim, an incoming senior at Rocklin High School and member of the commission’s subcommittee on substance abuse prevention. Arifa Omid, a recent Whitney High School graduate, also recalled wanting to join the subcommittee after witnessing friends and family members affected by substance abuse.

The book comes as county officials also step up drug enforcement and education.

In 2022, Placer County’s District Attorney’s Office launched the 1 Pill Can Kill campaign against fentanyl abuse. Along with charging fentanyl dealers with murder if a client dies from taking the drug, the office has delivered presentations on the dangers of fentanyl to over 40,000 middle- and high-schoolers.

“Early conversations about healthy choices, substance abuse awareness, and the ability to ask for help are critical in not just making the lives of youth in our community better but saving them altogether,” District Attorney Morgan Gire said in an email. “These young leaders, through their insightful story, are fulfilling a critical role in carrying that powerful message forward.”

With publication just around the corner, accessibility is now the commissioners’ priority. They plan to translate the book into Spanish and Russian before distributing free copies to elementary schools across the county. In the fall, commissioners who remain for a second term hope to visit their respective districts and read the book to elementary school students.

“It feels kind of surreal,” Omid said. “I’m just really excited to make a difference.”

This story was originally published June 16, 2025 at 6:00 AM.