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D.A.R.E.
He walks in the kitchen. Opens up the cupboard, slowly making sure not to make a noise. Grabs the bottle of Ecstasy, opens it up and takes a handful. Moments later, his senses magnified, the lights became more vivid, everything seemed fine. A second later he collapsed of overdosing on Ecstasy. I think the DARE program and other anti-drug-programs are ineffective for teenagers.
In surveys, scientists say teens who take the DARE program use drugs after. Not a single scientific study has ever found the DARE program to be effective in reducing drug use among young people and sometimes increases it. U.S. Surgeon General has placed DARE under the category of “Ineffective Programs” U.S. General Accounting Office found “no significant differences in illicit drug use between students who received DARE and students who didn’t.” The California legislative analyst’s office not only found that DARE is ineffective but that suburban students who took DARE were more likely than other’s to drink, smoke, and take drugs.
Nicole Hanson grew up in Salt Lake City. She started using Ecstasy at the age of seventeen in the summer at a party. Nicole used Ecstasy for the first time at a race. She met a guy and took the pill. She fell in love with the “love drug” Within three months her recklessness caught up with her. She took a drink of Red Bull at a party. Nicole passed out from overdose of GHB. Her so called “friends” left her in the bathroom for hours not bothering to check up on her. The catch is she took the DARE class.
I understand not every teen does drugs who took or are taking the DARE program. I understand the reason for making the anti-drug program. I know teens may need drugs to take and help an illness.
However, about sixteen million teenagers use drugs everyday. Scientists say “Heroin is as common in some neighborhoods as Starbucks.” About fifty-nine percent of teens twelve and older use only marijuana, about seventeen percent of teens use marijuana and another drug, and about twenty-four percent use a drug other than marijuana. About twelve million teens are addicted to nicotine, about two million to cocaine, and one million to heroin.
For my opinion I believe the DARE program is ineffective and a waste of time. I believe this because I have had multiple friends who took the program and got addicted to drugs after. Also, I have read stories about teens that took the class, but got into drugs. My aunt didn’t take the class and she never tried drugs. On the other hand my Dad took the class and he has done drugs.
I understand not every teenager is a drugs user. I realize again that doctor’s prescribes the drugs.
Lastly, scientists have said multiple times the DARE program is ineffective. Again not a single scientific study has ever found the DARE program effective in reducing drug use. The California legislative analyst’s office not only found that the DARE program is ineffective but that suburban students who took the DARE program were more likely than others to drink, smoke, and take drugs. The U.S. Federal Government said “If the DARE program is ineffective if not worse how can it still be a great anti-drug program? It can’t.” Authors Steven L. West, PhD and Keri K. O'Neal, PhD said “Our study supports previous findings indicating that DARE is Ineffective.” According to William B. Hansen Ph.D. and Ralph B. McNeal Jr. Ph.D. "Analyses revealed that the D.A.R.E. program had no significant effects on alcohol use, illegal drug use, steroid use, inhalant use and drug selling and dealing. Only main effects on smoking cigarettes and smokeless tobacco use were significant. Thus, with the exception of tobacco, the program failed to significantly lower all of the substances measured. This finding corroborates previous research findings."
In the end, I disagree that the DARE program and other anti-drug programs are effective. Here’s a question for you. If the DARE program has been proven so ineffective, if not worse how can it still be a great anti-drug program?