Since creation in 1983, DARE has been a prominent drug resistance program in all fifty states along with forty seven other countries to more than 200 million children. 114 million of those children come from the United States at all (“Is the DARE Program Good For America’s Kids (K-12)?” 1). It would seem to be common sense then, that the program so many children are being put through would be a productive and effective one. Even though DARE is the most common drug resistance program in the United States, it is obsolete. DARE is so obsolete it has even been found to increase the very things that is claims to reduce (3).
To determine what the purpose of DARE is, or at least what it was intended to be, one must return to the very creation of the …show more content…
He told them that yes, they did teach about not doing drugs, but they didn’t just preach from a pulpit. They also spent times interacting with the students during meals and recess (Knight 1). Now, all the children are doing is sitting there listening to a zero tolerance message. They get so used to hearing about zero tolerance for drugs, alcohol, and the like that they learn to tune it out. Children don’t know why it’s important to say, they just know that the DARE officer says it is. When they see friends or family using it, every thing DARE said goes out the window (“Is the DARE Program Good For America’s Kids (K-12)?” 2).
The average estimated cost per student per year for DARE falls somewhere between $173 and $268 varying by location. That number comes to a total of about $1.3 billion dollars (“Is the DARE Program Good For America’s Kids (K-12)?” 1), This staggering number seems overtly excessive for something with such low success rates. One community alone asked for and received $200,000 to assist in paying for DARE from their Children’s Service Board (Blask 8). One can only dream what this money could have gone for if it had been spent …show more content…
In a survey, 70% of students reported having negative feelings towards their DARE officer (“Is the DARE Program Good For America’s Kids (K-12)?” 2). This makes it apparent DARE’s problem goes deeper than not working; it is counterproductive. David J. Hanson reports in his article Drug Abuse Resistance Education: The Effectiveness of DARE, “In Houston, Texas, a study showed a shocking 29% increase in drug usage and a 34% increase in tobacco usage.” Additionally, any small positives that do come from DARE are gone by the two year mark (“Is the DARE Program Good For America’s Kids (K-12)?”
To determine what the purpose of DARE is, or at least what it was intended to be, one must return to the very creation of the …show more content…
He told them that yes, they did teach about not doing drugs, but they didn’t just preach from a pulpit. They also spent times interacting with the students during meals and recess (Knight 1). Now, all the children are doing is sitting there listening to a zero tolerance message. They get so used to hearing about zero tolerance for drugs, alcohol, and the like that they learn to tune it out. Children don’t know why it’s important to say, they just know that the DARE officer says it is. When they see friends or family using it, every thing DARE said goes out the window (“Is the DARE Program Good For America’s Kids (K-12)?” 2).
The average estimated cost per student per year for DARE falls somewhere between $173 and $268 varying by location. That number comes to a total of about $1.3 billion dollars (“Is the DARE Program Good For America’s Kids (K-12)?” 1), This staggering number seems overtly excessive for something with such low success rates. One community alone asked for and received $200,000 to assist in paying for DARE from their Children’s Service Board (Blask 8). One can only dream what this money could have gone for if it had been spent …show more content…
In a survey, 70% of students reported having negative feelings towards their DARE officer (“Is the DARE Program Good For America’s Kids (K-12)?” 2). This makes it apparent DARE’s problem goes deeper than not working; it is counterproductive. David J. Hanson reports in his article Drug Abuse Resistance Education: The Effectiveness of DARE, “In Houston, Texas, a study showed a shocking 29% increase in drug usage and a 34% increase in tobacco usage.” Additionally, any small positives that do come from DARE are gone by the two year mark (“Is the DARE Program Good For America’s Kids (K-12)?”