Pubdate: Tue, 13 Mar 2001 Source: Dallas Morning News (TX) Copyright: 2001 The Dallas Morning News Contact: P.O. Box 655237, Dallas, Texas 75265 Fax: (972) 263-0456 Feedback: http://dmnweb.dallasnews.com/letters/ Website: http://www.dallasnews.com/ Forum: http://forums.dallasnews.com/cgi-bin/wwwthreads.pl Author: A.F. Delaloye Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.) DARE LISTENED Promoters of the DARE program finally recognized the program was not really effective and they are going to change it. Drug Abuse Resistance Education is a national program designed to keep kids off drugs that has been operating for about 20 years. For several years schools and other youth organizations told the DARE promoters that the program was not effective. But DARE didn't listen. Finally, they listened and the program will be changed. So what about our justice system? For about those same 20 years we have been getting tough on crime and locking up a large percentage of our population mostly for illegal drugs. Since our drug problem is not getting better, it is logical to say the practice of putting so many people in prison is also not working. How long before we change this practice? A.F. DELALOYE, Plano - --- MAP posted-by: GD