TEACH KIDS THAT ALCOHOL IS A DRUG

Good intentions are no substitute for effective anti-drug education. Every
independent, methodologically sound evaluation of Drug Abuse Resistance
Education (DARE) has found the program to be either ineffective or
counterproductive.

The scare tactics used do more harm than good. Students who realize they
are being lied to about marijuana often make the mistake of assuming that
harder drugs like heroin 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. Minimizing drug
use requires strategies based on proven effectiveness, not "feel good"
programs that please parents, educators and police.

The importance of parental involvement in reducing drug use cannot be
overstated. School-based extracurricular activities have also been shown to
reduce drug use. In order for drug education to be effective, 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 every year than all illegal drugs combined. Alcohol may be
legal, but it's still the number one drug problem.

Robert Sharpe, MPA

Policy Analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, DC