OTHER OPINION: DARE'S CRITICS ARE FLAT WRONG

As the Drug Abuse Resistance Education officer with the Potter County
Sheriff's Department, I want to respond to two letters about DARE.

Robert Sharpe, in his Feb. 25 letter, states that the Texas DPS
donated tax dollars to the DARE program. The check I received for
$1,000 was from the Department of Public Safety Officers Association,
a private organization of officers who donate money made through
fund-raisers. I thank them.

Sharpe states that every methodologically sound study of DARE has
found it to be either ineffective or counterproductive. All components
of current DARE curricula are consistent with sound prevention
principles and techniques. Even critical studies have found DARE
resulted in improved student knowledge of drug dangers and
consequences, increased student social skills, more respect for law
enforcement and stronger attitudes against drug use.

Sharpe says students are lied to about marijuana, and that scare
tactics are used. I have never used scare tactics on students.
Students are told the truth about drugs, including marijuana. They are
taught about the consequences of their actions, including that
marijuana is an illegal drug, and that if a person possesses an
illegal drug, he or she could be arrested. That is not a scare tactic;
it is the truth.

Myron Von Hollingsworth, in his Feb. 28 column, also states that
students are lied to about cannabis, aka marijuana. Von Hollingsworth
is a member of the National Organiza-tion for the Reformation of
Marijuana Laws. He does not like any program that goes against his
belief that marijuana is harmless.

Drugs lead to crime and that leads to jail. Is that a lie?
Legalization is not the cure. Educating children to understand
consequences is the right track toward winning the drug war.

Sharpe discusses a study by Dr. Dennis Rosenbaum stating that "DARE
had no long-term effects on a wide range of drug use measures." DARE
was not designed as a 100 percent stop-all-drug-use program. It was
designed to work with other school programs, along with parents being
involved in the lives of their children. Furthermore, the conclusion
of Rosenbaum's years-long study showed that "DARE continued to have a
positive effect on anti-drug attitudes and confidence in peer-pressure
resistance skills."

These skills are what children need to say "no" to drugs and other
things. There are many studies that show DARE works, including the
recent study by Dr. Robert Landry on the Texas DARE program.

DARE makes a difference. Teaching in class is just part of the
program. Being a positive role model is the most important part.

We'll never know how many students will say "no" to drugs and violence
because of DARE. If it keeps even one student from using drugs, then
DARE will be a success.

Norm Fisher is a deputy with the Potter County Sheriff's Department
and a DARE instructor for Amarillo public schools.