WHAT WE CAN DO

Although the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program is popular ("State
D.A.R.E. officers gather in the Falls"), it is completely ineffective and
sometimes even counterproductive. That's the conclusion of the GAO, the
U.S. surgeon general, the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S.
Department of Education. Not surprisingly, the federal government now
prohibits schools from spending federal funds on the failed program.

However, there is good news. The social norms marketing technique has
repeatedly proven effective in reducing the use and abuse of alcohol among
young people. It's based on the fact that the vast majority of young people
greatly exaggerate in their minds the quantity and frequency of drinking
among their peers. Therefore, they tend to drink - or drink more - than
they would otherwise, in an effort to "fit in."

When credible surveys demonstrate the actual, much lower drinking rates,
and the results are widely publicized or "marketed" to this group, the
imagined social pressure drops and so does youthful drinking. Study after
study demonstrates that the technique works with both alcohol and drugs.

What's more, social norms programs cost very little to implement.

It's time to use the effective social norms marketing technique to reduce
underage drinking and substance abuse. Our young people deserve nothing less.

David J. Hanson, Ph.D.

Chapel Hill, N.C.