The Failed Policies of D.A.R.E.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced support of the D.A.R.E. program last week but research has shown the program and its methods for drug deterrence have not worked, according to Syracuse University researchers.

Shannon Monnat, the incoming Lerner Chair for Public Health Promotion at the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, said that “decades of research demonstrate that D.A.R.E. is ineffective at best and may actually increase the likelihood of teen substance misuse. There are a number of evidence-based programs that have been shown to be effective at preventing teen substance misuse and promoting positive social behaviors. D.A.R.E. is simply not one of them.”

Dessa Bergen-Cico, associate professor at Falk College, who studies drugs and behavioral addictions, says that D.A.R.E. would often have the opposite effect it was hoping to achieve.

“Studies have shown that DARE programs would often peak interest in drug use rather than dissuade it. One of the standard curriculum of D.A.R.E. was describing the different effects of drugs. However science has shown that children and especially those in the emerging adult years often look at what is the benefit before considering the risks,” says Bergen-Cico. “A far more effective method of drug prevention is teaching children how to understand their emotions and engage in self regulation.”

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