ARLINGTON DARE IS PART OF THE PROBLEM, NOT THE SOLUTION

Michael Landauer's excellent Jan. 21 column sheds much needed light on
the popular Drug Abuse Resistance Education program. Every
methodologically sound evaluation of the program has found DARE to be
either ineffective or counterproductive. Minimizing drug use requires
strategies based on proven effectiveness, not "feel good" programs
that please parents, educators and police.

Texas students would be better off without DARE. The scare tactics
used do more harm than good. Students who realize they are being lied
to about marijuana often make the mistake of assuming that harder
drugs are relatively harmless as well.

This is a recipe for disaster. Anti-drug education programs need to be
reality-based or they will backfire when kids are inevitably exposed
to drug use among their peers. DARE is part of the problem, not the
solution.

Robert Sharpe, M.P.A.

Program Officer,
The Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation,
Washington, D.C.