DARE TO BE DIFFERENT

Few adults, particularly parents, would question the need for schools
to offer programs educating children and teens about the dangers of
drugs. But it may be time to end, at least for now, the approach long
embraced by Florida officials.

The Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, which began almost a
quarter century ago in Los Angeles, is widely used in schools in our
region and around the nation. Typically, police officers are trained
to talk to children about avoiding the illegal use of drugs and
involvement in gangs.

But, in a telling move, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is
asking the state to end the agency's participation in the program.
FDLE officials have suggested cutting $376,362 for the anti-drug
program from its yearly appropriation.

With the state facing a huge shortfall, decision-makers at FDLE are
forced to reduce expenses and focus on essential services. DARE is no
longer deemed a priority.

The decision follows years of studies -- including one last year by
the Legislature's Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government
Accountability -- questioning the effectiveness of the DARE program.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office, an investigation agency
for Congress, concluded the same in 2003, stating that DARE had "no
statistically significant long-term effect on preventing illicit drug use."

Similar assessments have been made in recent years by the U.S.
Department of Education, the U.S. Surgeon General and the National
Academy of Sciences.

None of these entities has a predisposition to dismiss anti-drug
programs as an inefficient use of tax dollars. FDLE officials, who've
stood by the program for years, certainly would welcome any help they
could get in curbing drug abuse and drug dealing.

DARE advocates contend the long-running criticism is based on
outdated research. They say key changes have been made in the
program. But the continuing loss of support indicates that it's time
to step back and retool the program.

Perhaps a model can be found in the Florida's widely praised
anti-smoking program for teens, credited with reducing smoking rates
among young people. Besides warning about the health risks, the
campaign focuses on the ways that tobacco companies manipulate young
people -- an argument that seems to capture the attention of teens
protective of their independence.

Make no mistake: Florida schools need an aggressive program to fight
drugs and gangs. But DARE, it appears, is no longer the daring
initiative it was.