GIVING TEENS A REASON TO SAY NO

Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) remains the nation's most
popular drug abuse prevention program, despite a raft of recent studies
showing it is largely ineffective.

Taught in more than 80 percent of all U.S. school districts, it involves
police officers delivering a "just say no" message, which, in theory,
equips youngsters with the self-esteem and social skills necessary to
resist cigarettes, drugs and alcohol. But research shows that it takes only
a few years before the message is almost completely ignored.

With $650 million in federal money sunk into the program, there's a reason
it lingers. Police departments like it for its public relations value;
schools like having officers around their halls free of charge, and
everybody feels they're addressing a very real problem.

Slowly, however, schools are dropping their D.A.R.E. programs in favor of
others such as Life Skills Training and Project ALERT, which use teachers
instead of officers to train middle-school students how to stay away from
drugs and alcohol.

Some also use stronger measures, such as kicking students off cheerleading
squads and soccer teams for smoking marijuana, or randomly drug-testing
student-athletes.

While the most recent National Household Survey on Drug Abuse found that
drug use among youths ages 12-17 dropped slightly after steady increases
throughout most of the last decade, teen drug use remains sky high. The
annual survey found 9.9 percent of those in that age group reported using
drugs within the previous month, down from 11.4 percent in 1997. Even the
lower of those numbers far exceeds the 1992 level of 5.3 percent.

It's time to look seriously at a handful of promising new programs that use
carrots rather than sticks to keep children away from drugs.

Schools in Rockwall, Texas; Little Rock, Ark.; and Chambersburg, Pa.,
recently initiated programs in which students who volunteer for periodic
drug testing receive a special card that entitles them to a variety of
freebies, perks and discounts from local merchants.

At Rockwall High School, more than 75 merchants recruited by local Rotary
Club members offer inducements ranging from buy-one-get-one-free pizza
coupons to 25 percent off jewelry purchases to special parties. Out of
1,700 students at the high school, about 1,100 signed up for the program,
called Drug-Free Youth in Town (D-FY-IT). Students and parents agree that
any positive test will result in a meeting of the student with parents and
a counselor.

In Chambersburg, local merchants give special hiring consideration to
students who hold a TRUCE (Teens Resisting Unhealthy Choices Everyday)
photo ID. The local used-car dealer offers $200 off auto purchases,
fast-food restaurants give out free beverages, video stores provide movie
discounts and a clothing store knocks 10 percent off the sales tag.

Not only do these programs involve the business community in students'
lives, but they also give young people a more compelling excuse to just say
no: It's unaffordable. School administrators and business leaders should
dare to try more creative approaches--perhaps involving incentives rather
than punishments--to keep young people off drugs.