DARE Exposed

Three cheers to Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson for having the
courage to take on one of the nation's biggest sacred cows: DARE, the
so-called Drug Abuse Resistance Education program. Study after study
has shown the program to be ineffective. The United States Justice
Department hired the Research Triangle Institute of Durham, N.C. to
conduct a statistical analysis of all DARE research.

As reported in USA Today, "A preliminary report from the RTI --
analyzing eight studies involving 9,500 children -- says DARE has a
'limited to essentially non-existent effect' on drug use." Further,
the top drug official at the Department of Education says, "Research
shows that, no, DARE hasn't been effective in reducing drug use."

But never mind all that; as reported in The Tribune, Salt Lake City
police spokesman Cory Lyman says, "We have felt like DARE has been a
successful program. That's why we've continued to do it." So, here we
have yet another hugely funded, government sponsored program that
makes us "feel" all warm and fuzzy but doesn't work. I say let's opt
out of DARE and use those resources to find and fund something which
does.

STEVE WOODALL
Salt Lake City