Is the d a r e program effective
So What Is Effective In Preventing Drug Use? The DARE education had faded in my memory by then.” When asked whether they thought the DARE program was effective, they responded answers such as, “ I think it would be better to include recovering addicts like myself” and “ I didn’t encounter drugs until later in life.
#IS THE D A R E PROGRAM EFFECTIVE SERIES#
Vice magazine conducted a series of interviews with people suffering from substance use disorder who had received DARE education. The program encouraged students to anonymously report back on any drugs they encountered at home or school via a box in the classroom. Not everyone views the police in a positive light. Beyond this, there will always be an element of any classroom that views the police as an oppositional force. The police force employs a punitive, zero-tolerance approach to drugs rather than adopting a rehabilitative view.
#IS THE D A R E PROGRAM EFFECTIVE HOW TO#
The DARE workshops mainly involved police officers entering classrooms and teaching students about the kinds of drugs they might encounter and how to say no. It gives them more confidence than they should have.” By this, Colson implies that the program educates students about drugs they were otherwise not aware of.Ĭritics argue that the DARE program was not effective because it was delivered by policemen rather than addiction prevention specialists. The psychologist William Colson said, “ DARE gives kids the confidence to say no to drugs and to say yes to drugs. The National Institute of Justice’s research found that the program has some effect, but on a modest scale.Īnother study carried out by the University of Illinois concluded that the DARE program was counter-productive with students who participated in the program more likely to use drugs. The results of the study found that the program had no meaningful impact on rates of drug use, attitudes towards drugs, or self-esteem. This study assessed the efficacy of the program by tracking the subsequent drug use of the subjects when they hit their 20’s.
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There is still a great deal of controversy surrounding the effectiveness of the program.Īfter 10 years of the DARE program, the American Psychological Association ran a study of 1002 subjects who received DARE education in their 6th grade. However, despite DARE’s bold claims, research has shown that the program has failed spectacularly. The DARE website claims the program is a resounding success as it “ led to rapid growth and expansion.” LA police chief Daryl Gates and LA Unified District School set up the program as a strategy within the infamous War on Drugs.ĭARE workshops are delivered by policemen who go into classrooms from kindergarten through grade 12 with the aim of teaching school kids to reject drug use and violent gang culture.Īccording to DARE, the program is delivered in 75% of schools and has been rolled out across 43 countries. In 1983, the federal government introduced a nationwide education program called DARE which aimed to reduce drug-taking, gangs, and violence among young people.ĭARE stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education.