MIM Notes 193 
September 1, 1999

Study adds nails in DARE's coffin

On August 2, researchers at the University of Kentucky released a 
report showing that DARE, or Drug Abuse Resistance Education, does 
not work. DARE is a popular and well funded program by which 
police officers are put in schools, where they "teach" about the 
perils of drug use. The real use of the program is the propaganda 
value of making cops looks good. The program also affords pigs 
increased surveillance access in the schools.

In 1987, Lexington, Kentucky put DARE officers in 23 schools 
before they ran out of money. With eight schools in the city 
without DARE, this served as an effective controlled experiment. 
The value of DARE at preventing drug use was shown to be zero. 
Children in both sets of schools were equally likely to abuse 
drugs.

But as reported previously, evidence isn't hurting DARE's 
popularity amongst the Amerikkkan masses. While five Massachusetts 
cities or towns dropped DARE in the last few years, "93% of 
Massachusetts municipalities remain firmly within 'the DARE fold,' 
according to Sheila Foley, the program's state coordinator."

The researchers concluded "that continued enthusiasm [for DARE] 
shows Americans' stubborn resistance to apply science to drug 
policy."(2) The researchers complain that parents say: My kids 
couldn't use drugs, they've been through DARE. More disturbing are 
the comments of one DARE pig, Bob Ramocki: "The studies are more 
than canceled out by classroom experience. And all the studies 
have a built-in problem, he said: How do you measure 
prevention?"(2)

That's simple:  with controlled experiments. But Ramocki does get 
into the meat of the issue. The value of DARE to Amerika is not in 
stopping drug use, but in the classroom experience. The most 
successful aspect of DARE is in making the police into Officer 
Friendly, trusted by children. Children normally have no or only 
negative interactions with police, but DARE attempts to change 
this. By further solidifying the bond between youth and the 
police, Amerika hopes to train another generation to turn in their 
friends and contribute to the ever increasing rates of 
incarceration.

DARE fails at stopping drugs, but that's not the point. It's real 
purpose is public relations for the police and the police state. 
And that is something that Amerikkkan adults are willing to spend 
large sums of tax money for.

Note:
1. Boston Globe 2 August 1999, p. A1, B12 
2. These are not direct quotes but are Boston Globe paraphrases.