EFFECTIVE DRUG EDUCATION MUST BE BASED ON REALITY, NOT FEAR

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

Robert Sharpe, M.P.A.

Drug Policy Alliance, Washington D.C.