D.A.R.E. success challenged Program seen squeezing out more successful anti-drug efforts

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BOSTON – Brian Knuuttila says his most rewarding job was the year he spent as a D.A.R.E. officer warning schoolchildren about the dangers of drugs.

Now a state representative, Knuuttila is a vocal supporter of a program he credits with strengthening ties between police and youth.

“There are a lot of people out there throwing rocks at the program because they think it’s nothing more than a public relations vehicle for the police,” said Knuuttila.

“I challenge anyone to come up to me and say here is a better program. Nothing has stood the test of time as D.A.R.E.,” he said.

But researchers say D.A.R.E. has no influence on whether a child will use drugs or alcohol.

Worse still, they say, D.A.R.E.’s popularity among police and parents is stifling other, more effective drug-fighting programs.

“There’s no scientific rationale whatsoever for maintaining D.A.R.E. in the schools,” said Denise Hallfors, an associate professor at the University of North Carolina’s School of Public Health.

Hallfors surveyed 100 school districts nationwide and found the No. 1 program they are using is D.A.R.E., followed by Here’s Looking At You and the McGruff Drug Prevention and Children Protection Program.

The study found that the programs, which stress “say no to drugs” lectures, have no long-term effect in keeping children off drugs and squeeze out more successful programs such as Life Skills Training and Project Alert.

D.A.R.E. – Drug Abuse Resistance Education – has gained huge popularity since it was launched by the Los Angeles Police Department in 1983. It operates in 80 percent of U.S. school districts, reaching about 36 million young people.

It was the only drug prevention program cited by name in an early version of the federal Safe and Drug Free Schools law, Hallfors said. A 1998 federal policy now requires drug prevention programs be assessed for effectiveness.

Doubts about D.A.R.E.’s success have done little to dampen support. Even as Massachusetts lawmakers warn of shrinking revenues, few suggest touching D.A.R.E.’s $4.3 million budget.

The money is distributed to about 320 programs around the state with Boston receiving the largest chunk, $15,000. The money pays for books, supplies and police overtime.

“It’s really not a lot of money,” said Michael C. Mather, a former D.A.R.E. officer who oversees drug education programs in Massachusetts.

But D.A.R.E. critics say even that small amount of money would be better spent on programs that work.

Donald Lynam, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky, tracked about 1,000 students, some who participated in D.A.R.E. and some who didn’t, for about a dozen years.

“Essentially D.A.R.E. had no effect at any age on drug use,” he said.

Part of the problem may be the messenger, he said. Students most likely to use drugs may be suspicious of police.

Another problem is D.A.R.E.’s focus on peer pressure as the main reason for drug use, ignoring other causes such as curiosity or home life, he said.

“[D.A.R.E.] seems like a good idea to parents and politicians,” Lynam said. “It just doesn’t work.”

More successful programs, such as Reconnecting Youth, abandon lectures and focus instead on helping students set personal goals and integrate back into school, Hallfors said.

D.A.R.E. is responding to the criticism.

Earlier this year it announced it would use a $13.7 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to test a new curriculum aimed at helping students develop better decision-making skills.

A total of 80 high schools and 176 middle schools will participate in the study, which will involve an estimated 50,000 students.

Some federal agencies are also looking beyond D.A.R.E.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Web site recommends several drug education programs, including Reconnecting Youth, Project Alert and Life Skills Training.

Some school districts have already done away with D.A.R.E., citing a variety of reasons.

Beginning in September, D.A.R.E. officers will no longer teach in Newton, Mass. School officials canceled the program, citing in part pressure to spend more time preparing students for the statewide assessment test students are now required to pass to graduate.

That decision has pitted the schools against the police.

“Can I say [D.A.R.E.] stopped drugs? Absolutely not. But if kids are making more positive decisions, that’s important,” said Newton Police Chief Frank Gorgone.