e stress and conflict without drugs and violence. D.A.R.E. is very popular, and one of the reasons is because it puts the local police in the “good guy” position. Having a policeman come into a classroom can be an effective way to teach important survival skills, such as traffic rules, and bicycle safely, and resisting predatory strangers. In recent years, newspapers have published several accounts where children credited D.A.R.E. with helping them thwart an improper approach by a stranger. D.A.R.E. is especially popular among the children themselves. Most D.A.R.E. officers are friendly, affable officers, and develop good rapport with the kids, who are charmed by tales of adventure in law enforcement. Police departments like D.A.R.E. because it provides additional revenue and a useful opportunity to engage in community relations. D.A.R.E. officers are frequently personable, attractive officers who make an excellent impression on children and present a positive image of police in general. However, informal surveys have found that D.A.R.E. is no more effective than any other drug education program. “The D.A.R.E. program’s limited effect on adolescent drug use contrasts with the program’s popularity and prevalence. An important implication is that D.A.R.E. could be taking the place of other, more beneficial drug education programs that kids could be receiving.” Because of attempting to prevent all drug experimentation and/or use, D.A.R.E.’s objectives are not only unrealistic but also possible counter-productive because they are obviously unattainable. As an example, some studies have shown that adolescents who have experimented with illicit drugs (especially marijuana) are better adjusted than either abstainers or frequent users and were more socially skilled with higher levels of self-esteem than abstainers. Some people say that drug addiction is a disease, and addicts should be treated as peop...
