Reassessing Drug Education

I am gratified to see the Garden Grove Unified School District is committed to the DARE program (Dec. 22). It is easy to get caught up in the anti-drug-education zeitgeist that has become prevalent.

As a council member with the city of Garden Grove, I am a proponent of DARE and see it as an asset to our community-oriented policing program.

Too many people look for a single instant solution to the problem of drug abuse. Changing and shaping attitudes is a long-term process. We need to look at collective successes over time.

Proper socialization of our youth can guide them into becoming good citizens. Positive classroom exposure to a police officer can help shape behavioral attitudes. Reinforcement from teachers and, most important, parents lays the foundation of responsible citizenship.

DARE officers spend their days in contact with our community’s youth. They are often a valuable source of information with regard to issues troubling our youth. They can also be a valuable source of information for young people. They are available to answer questions about the perils of drug abuse and the criminal consequences associated with the drug lifestyle.

I view our law enforcement as part of the community. It is through positive interaction that we are able to build bridges and contribute to making Garden Grove a great place to live and work.

KEN MADDOX

Garden Grove

* An “A” to Orange County school districts that are reviewing DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) programs’ effectiveness.

Thumbs up to Phyllis Reed and Buena Park School District’s leadership for looking for new approaches to designing drug use curriculum. The bottom line is that kids come out of DARE with knowledge about drugs, improved social skills and a more positive attitude about police.

DARE affects youth on a short-term basis and by itself has little impact on youth risk factors on a long-term basis. Studies show youth going through DARE programs are just as likely to get involved with alcohol and drugs as those who don’t go through the program.

When it comes to making the grade, DARE has received an “F” in the scientific literature over the last 15 years. Even William Hanson, the designer of DARE, says the program should be “scrapped and redeveloped.”

Although the DARE program is popular among school personnel, parents, police and kids, the billions of dollars spent on school-based anti-drug programs has failed to have a major effect on drug use patterns among young people.

Prevention programs such as DARE ultimately should be tested on the new Department of Education standards based on reducing drug use and availability. Several promising “social influence” programs and peer-to-peer approaches such as Friday Night Live exist to work with youth in schools to reduce the likelihood they will engage in alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use by looking at social influences and the environment kids live in. Because 60% of youth have access to legal drugs such as alcohol, the advertising, social and economic environment kids live in also should be addressed.

ANNETTE PADILLA

Brea

* Re “Taking a fresh look at DARE,” Jan. 4 editorial:

DARE is a monumental mistake.

The Drug Abuse Resistance Education program does not conform to the new principles of effectiveness for the state of California.

This new position by the California Department of Education is an admission that DARE is not a correct anti-drug strategy and may in fact be psychologically deleterious to a child’s proper socialization.

RUDI KRAUSE

Anaheim