COSTLY DARE HAS BEEN INEFFECTIVE

This letter is in response to that written by Officer Robert Benson, the
Hyde Park Police Department's DARE officer. Officer Benson is correct when
he states that no drug prevention program is 100 percent effective. But he
then asked why bash a program that has had 20 years in place that works?

I don't for one second doubt the sincere dedication with which these fine
officers approach their assignments, but every independent,
methodologically sound evaluation of DARE has found the program either
ineffectual or counterproductive.

In 1999, in a study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical
Psychology, researchers evaluating 1,002 students 10 years after they were
exposed to DARE found few differences in terms of actual drug use, drug
attitudes or self-esteem. DARE was the target of criticism in 2001 when a
U.S. surgeon general's report said the program's popularity persists
despite numerous well-designed evaluations and meta-analyses that
consistently show few or no deterrent effects on substance use.

It seems DARE, for all its good intentions, has been a terrific waste of
taxpayer and corporate sponsor money. It's clear the root of the problem
lies in the prohibited status of drugs in our society and as adults it is
up to us to address and resolve this vital social issue. As things stand,
all the best efforts of all our educators and law enforcement personnel are
doing little to save people young and old from making bad choices.

Michael T. Walsh

Accord