DRUG PREVENTION STARTS AT HOME

A Whig reporter's two-part series this week analyzing the Drug Abuse
Resistance Education (DARE) program in the county public schools included
one very clear message for parents - drug prevention starts at home.

The DARE program has received some controversial attention in recent years
about its effectiveness. Nationwide, critics have said the program is not
keeping children drug-free. But no anti-drug program will end drug use
totally. That's not realistic. It appears the program, adopted for county
middle school students in 1991 and modified since, is working very
effectively here. State surveys show a slight decline in drug use here
among teens. What the surveys cannot tell you is how many teens could have
fallen prey to drug abuse. Yes, there are still occasional deaths from drug
overdose here. But no one knows how many more teens may have died if drug
prevention programs like DARE were not offered to youth.

Police officers from different agencies in the county have moderated the
DARE program over the years. It has become an effective communication
experience between police and youths. The interaction has more benefits
than just preventing drug abuse; it also has helped with the concerns for
potential violence and security problems in the schools.

Of course, the responsibility for educating children about the perils of
drug abuse - and setting moral standards for all social issues - doesn't
just rest with public school teachers, counselors and police. It begins at
home with parents.

Obviously, some parents do a better job parenting than others. No one in
their right mind would claim to be a parenting expert. But common sense
will tell you that good parental role models and teaching expected social
standards at home carries on into the community. Cecil County is fortunate
in that many parents share similar family values. But, of course, other
factors can negate the best intentions.

DARE is just one drug prevention program. There are others, including a
host of positive activities parents and their children can participate in,
if they make the effort. That effort is usually initiated by adults, but
children continue to contribute as seen in recent responses in letters to
the editor from teens concerned about the need for more youth programs.

Every little bit counts in the effort to curb drug abuse.