SPEAK UP, IF YOU DARE

Sometimes people really amaze me. On this page, readers will find two
letters in direct opposition to the Drug Abuse Resistance Education
(DARE) program, which is facilitated by RCMP officers.

This past weekend, the DARE program benefited from the annual PEACE
100 snowmobile rally, put on by our local Elks club. Money raised from
the event goes toward the DARE program to ensure that the program
stays alive in our schools.

What I find similar to both letters is that while the authors
criticize DARE for perceived shortfalls in drug education, they do not
offer any solutions of their own. What kind of message are you
sending, saying some drugs are bad but others such as marijuana are in
a gray area? If this drug is so great, why is it still considered
illegal to possess it?

One letter notes that perhaps we should send the message to kids to
say no to sugar. Not a bad idea, after all sugar is also a drug - not
unlike tobacco, caffeine and alcohol.

Another letter hints that trained, professional educators are not
being used in drug education. Ask any RCMP officer how much training
goes into being a DARE liaison.

Nipawin has three officers qualified to teach the DARE program and I'm
sure they would be more than happy to give anyone interested an
overview as to what the program covers. Also, the presence of RCMP
officers in schools brings with it another message - that police are
not people to be feared. After all, RCMP officers are here to protect
and help the public. The interaction by officers and students should
be promoted, not criticized.

Think of firefighters who allow students to see them in their turnout
gear. Why would they do this? To show the youngsters that while a
firefighter may look scary wearing breathing apparatus during a
rescue, sounding like Darth Vader as they breath from an oxygen tank,
they are there to help. We do not slam the fire department for such
public interaction with school children, so why be so heavy on the
RCMP?

Another person to ask about the DARE program is a parent of a student
who went through it, or is currently involved. Better yet, ask the
kids what they think of DARE.

Yes, the Elks are to be applauded for their assistance in delivering
this drug education program. If the DARE program was such a bad idea
as the following letter writers make it out to be, then why would the
Elks support it?

It's easy to point at a program and assume that it does nothing if one
does not know what the program is about or what it teaches. To say
that DARE promotes misinformation and lies without any hard evidence
to back up the claim certainly negates that claim. Perhaps those who
criticize others for being misinformed should educate themselves.

RRK