Community commentary
DARE program may not be 100%, but it's worth keeping
By RONALD LOWENBERG

Since the passage of Proposition 215 by voters in November,
there seems to have been an increased amount of articles,
letters, and stories published which directly or indirectly criticize the
DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program and other
antidrug education programs.
The latest such articles resulted from a study included in a report
by the California State Department of Education. This report did
not deal with the DARE program specifically, but with the
effectiveness of the use of funds allocated through Drug, Alcohol,
Tobacco Education. Although some school districts used DATE
funds to support their DARE programs, DARE made up only a
fraction of those programs considered.
Unfortunately, that report was used by elements in the media to
detract from the efforts of law enforcement and education to
mitigate serious problems in our society.
One article suggested that since a survey concluded two out of
five students felt their antidrug education program had no influence
over their attitudes toward drug use, the education programs failed
in some way. I was not surprised by the figures, since we
acknowledged long ago that there would always be students who
would adopt antidrug and prodrug attitudes, no matter how much
education they received on the subject.
The students with antidrug attitudes do not present a problem,
while some of those with prodrug attitudes will not be reached due
to other influences in their lives. It is the kids in the middle who are
our target audience. Those would account for the three out of five
who indicated their attitudes were shaped by antidrug education.
The same article quoted the survey to say that seven out of 10
students surveyed had neutral to negative attitudes towards the
instructors of these programs. Once again, this was not surprising. I
work with and associate with many good high school students with
terrific outlooks and bright futures who would be hard pressed to
say anything particularly positive about anything they experienced in
elementary or junior high school. Anyone who knows teenagers and
their nature would not be enlightened by that subjective opinion.
Many critical articles, and most of those which target DARE
specifically, mischaracterize the program as containing "fear tactics"
and overly simplistic approaches such as "Just say no." In truth, the
DARE program is committed to the idea that educated persons, not
those who are afraid, make good life decisions. Anyone who is
familiar with the DARE curriculum knows the approaches used are
far from simplistic and embrace the most modern teaching
principles.
No one believes that DARE or any other prevention program
will achieve 100% success in mitigating drug, gang, violence and
other antisocial problems in our communities. But, despite
combining the two most controversial aspects of American society
(education and law enforcement), the DARE program has existed
for almost 15 years with incredible acceptance throughout our
nation and the world. No other professional, formal program can
claim the same results. If another curriculum became available which
rivaled and outperformed DARE, we would be foolish not to
consider and adopt it; but, we are unaware of any such alternative.
If we follow the lead of the naysayers and prodrug elements of
our society on this subject, we can only conclude that education is
not effective in reducing the human suffering caused by the existence
of these problems. If that is the case, we should consider eliminating
education as a factor and be left with only enforcement and
treatment after the fact, after the suffering, as remedies worth
pursuing. I cannot imagine anyone with common sense believing
education was useless, no matter what the subject.
Those of us involved in DARE and similar programs such as
SANE and Drug Use Is Life Abuse have seen the positive
consequences of our efforts firsthand. That faith is supported every
day by the interaction we experience with the children in our
community. It is difficult to quantify that success without subjectivity,
as proven by every research study I have reviewed. An individual in
their late teens or early 20s who includes the consumption of
alcohol and the occasional use of marijuana in their recreational
habits would be considered evidence of failure on the part of the
DARE program by critics. However, one would have to wonder
how far that type of behavior would have continued towards more
serious abuse if the individual had not participated in earlier
antidrug education such as the DARE program. The optimist might
say that the lack of serious abuse is an indication of success.
I hope the public pays close attention to the facts and base
information from surveys, studies, and research used by others to
criticize and doubt the effects of education programs such as
DARE. As of this date, I have read and experienced nothing to
shake my faith in DARE or my confidence in its value to our
children.

RONALD LOWENBERG is the Huntington Beach police chief.