Pubdate: Sat, 15 Dec 2007 Source: Newsday (NY) Copyright: 2007 Newsday Inc. Contact: http://www.newsday.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/308 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n1426/a07.html Author: Robert Sharpe DARE MAY PUT STUDENTS AT RISK Not only does Drug Abuse Resistance Education not work, but it could be putting students at greater risk for drug use ["Dare to end the DARE program," Editorial, Dec. 6]. Independent evaluations of DARE have found the program to be either ineffective or counterproductive. The scare tactics used do more harm than good. Students who realize they've been lied to about marijuana may make the mistake of assuming that harder drugs like cocaine and 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. The importance of parental involvement in reducing drug use cannot be overstated. School-based extracurricular activities also have been shown to reduce drug use. They keep kids busy during the hours they're most likely to get into trouble. For drug education to effectively reduce harm, it has to be credible. The most popular recreational drug and the one most closely associated with violent behavior is often overlooked. That drug is alcohol, and it takes far more lives each year than all illegal drugs combined. Alcohol may be legal, but it's still the No. 1 drug problem. Robert Sharpe Editor's note: The writer is policy analyst for Common Sense for Drug Policy. Washington, D.C. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom