DARE DOESN'T WORK

Drug Education is Needed, But This Isn't It

The DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program has been one of the most
popular drug education programs of all time. Led by a local police officer
in elementary and middle school, the program's curriculum centers on
teaching children the evils of illicit drug use. But the most recent
research confirms an alarming trend which past journalists have also
noted... DARE largely fails at its main task -- stopping kids from trying drugs.

In fact, the most comprehensive research to date on DARE studied the effect
of the program on 1,800 Illinois children from fifth grade through high
school. Dennis Rosenbaum, head of the criminal justice department at the
University of Illinois, led the study. The conclusions of the researchers?
DARE provides no beneficial effect on student drug use. The six-year study
not only didn't find any differences between students who were in the DARE
program and those who did not have DARE education, but the DARE education
made have an adverse effect on kids' drug activity in the suburbs. The study
found children living in the suburbs who were exposed to DARE training
actually had a significantly higher level of drug use than kids who didn't
have DARE education.

Taxpayers money, to the tune of $220 million per year, goes to fund DARE
programs. Should so much of taxpayers dollars go toward an ineffectual
program which may actually increase drug usage among children in some
communities? We don't think so.

Reason magazine actually reported on the troubles with the DARE program back
in March, 1995. (See also the letters to the editor followup.) Parents,
taxpayers, schools, and the police have all been silent on these facts for
far too long. Good money is being thrown after bad because change is
difficult, especially for established programs which have a large
"feel-good" factor associated with them. Nobody wants to be blamed as the
person responsible for removing DARE from their school, for fear that even a
bad program is better than none at all.

Yet this most recent research is also the most troubling. If DARE isn't just
a bad program with very little empirical support (or certainly no strong
empirical support, as it should have if it's going to be an integral part of
thousands of communities' drug education efforts), but a program which may
contribute to more kids trying drugs, then action must be taken sooner
rather than later. DARE spokespeople, quoted in the press from various
sources, suggest that this study was using the "old curriculum," and hence
the "new and improved" DARE curriculum is immune to these research findings.
In fact, the "new and improved" DARE curriculum is largely unchanged from
the old curriculum.

This kind of reasoning from the DARE organization also begs the question,
however. Shouldn't extensive research into a program's effectiveness (or
lack thereof) be conducted before that program is unleashed onto millions of
school children? Shouldn't basic standards exist to ensure that taxpayers
money is being well-spent on curriculum that works ahead of time, rather
than finding out years later?

This type of reasoning also fails to address the ongoing problems within the
DARE curriculum itself, as noted in the Reason article way back in 1995.
DARE shouldn't seek to hide behind marketing mantras, but instead should
embrace the empirical research and look at ways of making substantial needed
changes in their program to ensure it is effective (or at least doesn't
cause any harm!).

Drug abuse in America is an ongoing, serious problem which often begins in
childhood. Children often turn to substances such as marijuana, cocaine, and
alcohol under peer pressure or to deal with the extreme emotional roller
coaster that is commonplace in the teenage years. Programs must be designed
and shown to be effective which help kids understand that there are hundreds
of other ways to fit in with your friends and to cope with your emotions.
This education doesn't have to take place in a school classroom, however.
Families and parents could take back this responsibility and ensure their
children learn about the dangers of drug use. Too many times, parents don't
know how to approach such topics with their children. The alternative,
however, is that children not taught in some way will be bound to learn the
hard way -- through real-life experience.

DARE should be improved to the point where there is an overwhelming amount
of research which confirms it is a useful, efficient, and effective drug
education program. If the research can't show this -- as it has yet to do so
- -- schools, parents, and researchers need to look at alternatives to DARE
which may be more effective in getting the needed information about drugs to
kids.

APA Reference Grohol, J.M. (1997). DARE doesn't work. [Online]. Mental
Health Net. Available: http://www.cmhc.com/archives/editor30.htm [1997,
April 1].

Checked-by: Melodi Cornett