OFFICER SEEKS NEW WAYS TO IMPROVE DARE PROGRAM

It's not every national conference you can go to and meet an old friend.

Kevin Provins, D.A.R.E. officer for the Carthage Police Department, has that
experience every year he goes to a conference. He gets to renew
acquaintances with some of the 36 officers he started D.A.R.E. training with
in 1991 in Jefferson City.

"The education of becoming a D.A.R.E. officer is very intense -- a lot of
study and a lot of late nights," Provins said.

Out of intensity, bonds are made and lessons are learned. Networking with
fellow D.A.R.E. officers can speed up the process. Officers can share what
works, what are the problems and trends, share knowledge and, of course,
meet old friends.

This year officers met a new friend -- the New D.A.R.E. Program. The
curriculum , to be tested among 80 schools, was developed by the Institute
for Health and Social Policy at the University of Akron. The pilot programs
will be funded by a $ 13.7 million grant from the Robert Woods Johnson
Foundation of Princeton, N.J.

"The biggest change in what we're doing is our teaching method," Provins
said. "It's a lot less talking at children."

"I think most kids have heard about the dangers of drugs. We want to be a
reliable source to tell them the right information. We want them to show
their thoughts and feelings about drugs."

Students will learn facts and share observations. Provins said D.A.R.E.
officers learned that the current drug trends indicate a rise in marijuana
and heroin use. Of course, in this area of the country, meth is always a
concern.

There's some good news. A recent survey of the nation's high-school students
by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that the teen
smoking rate has dropped to its lowest level in more than a decade, the
Associated Press reported June 17.

According to the study, 22 percent of high-school students said they smoked
in 2003, down from 36 percent in 1997. Last year, 58 percent of students
said they tried smoking, a substantial drop from the 70 percent of students
who tried smoking in 1999.