DARE RESEARCH

To the editor: L. Richey, of Oregon, questions the "scientific" and
"empirical" evidence Mr. White refers to about the failure of DARE.
(Dedicated to DARE, August 5).

Many independent experts have found that DARE miserably fails
students.

The federal Bureau of Justice Assistance paid $300,000 to the Research
Triangle Institute (RTI), a North Carolina research firm, to analyze
DARE's effectiveness. The RTI study found that DARE failed to
significantly reduce drug use. Researchers warned that "DARE could be
taking the place of other, more beneficial drug-use curricula."

Dennis Rosenbaum, professor of criminal justice studies at the
University of Illinois at Chicago, surveyed and tracked 1,800 kids who
had DARE training and concluded in 1998 that "suburban students who
participated in DARE reported significantly higher rates of drug use."

A 1999 study by the California legislative analyst's office "concluded
that DARE didn't keep children from using drugs. In fact, it found
that suburban kids who took DARE were more likely than others to
drink, smoke and take drugs," the Los Angeles Times reported.

A 1999 University of Kentucky study, funded by the National Institutes
of Health, examined the effect of DARE on students' behavior over the
subsequent 10 years. The report concluded "Our results are consistent
in documenting the absence of beneficial effects associated with the
DARE program. This was true whether the outcome consisted of actual
drug use or merely attitudes toward drug use." One Kentucky researcher
observed "The only difference was that those who received DARE
reported slightly lower levels of self-esteem at age 20."

Larry Seguin

Lisbon N Y