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Reader Forum letters: 200 words max
Speaking Up columns: 500 words max

Building on DARE

In response to criticism of DARE, I want to offer my support for the
program. I have worked in the field of substance abuse and prevention for over
10 years and have found that our prevention efforts, though well intended, are
paltry compared with the magnitude of the problem.

DARE is a dot on a blank canvas when it comes to prevention curriculum. It's
a great starting point, period. Too often, it is relied on as the sole way to
prevent drug and alcohol use by teens. What is needed in addition to DARE is a
human relations program on every grade level. The objective would be to
educate students about the reality of addiction while giving them the
opportunity to obtain the skills needed to prevent it.

The subject of human relations addresses many factors contributing to
substance abuse. It can be handled as a single subject and integrated into
other courses. The program would offer the opportunity for development of peer
pressure, an important ingredient of DARE.

Rather than seek an alternative to DARE, let's build on the groundwork laid
by that valuable program.

Janice Brown Krolack, Freehold