GOOD INTENTIONS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR EFFECTIVE DRUG EDUCATION

Re: "Just Say Yes" editorial, Airdrie City View Oct. 16.

Dear editor,

Good intentions are no substitute for effective drug
education.

Independent evaluations of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) have
found the program to be either ineffective or counterproductive. The
scare tactics used do more harm than good. Students who realize
they've been lied to about marijuana may make the mistake of assuming
that harder drugs like methamphetamine are relatively harmless as
well. This is a recipe for disaster. Drug education programs must be
reality-based or they may backfire when kids are inevitably exposed to
drug use among their peers.

The importance of parental involvement in reducing drug use cannot be
overstated. School-based extracurricular activities have alsobeen
shown to reduce drug use. They keep kids busy during the hours they're
most likely to get into trouble. In order for drug education to
effectively reduce harm, it has to be credible.

The most popular recreational drug and the one most closely associated
with violent behavior is often overlooked. That drug is alcohol, and
it takes far more lives each year than all illegal drugs combined.
Alcohol may be legal, but its still the number one drug problem.

ROBERT SHARPE,

Policy Analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy, Washington DC