Pubdate: Thu, 01 Mar 2001 Source: Otago Daily Times (New Zealand) Copyright: Allied Press Limited, 2001 Contact: P.O. Box 181, 52-66 Lower Stuart Street, Dunedin, New Zealand Website: http://www2.odt.co.nz Author: New Zealand Press Association Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.) DARE IN CRISIS Wellington: A scheme aimed at keeping youngsters off drugs is in financial crisis at a time when statistics show more schoolchildren are smoking cannabis. The police drug education programme in schools, Drug Abuse Resistance Education (Dare), would fold within a year if it did not get more money soon, chief executive Graham Gibbs said. Police education officers who taught the programme in schools were funded by New Zealand Police but Dare supplied all materials to schools and needed an extra $500,000 to survive long-term, Mr Gibbs said. Dare began in New Zealand in 1989. It now runs five different programmes, including one in Maori and one that provides support for parents. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake