Just say no to D.A.R.E. — starting a better conversation about youth drug prevention

Published: Aug 14, 2017, 10:54 am • Updated: Aug 14, 2017, 11:23 am

By Andrew Freedman, The Hill Guest Commentary

Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently called for the return of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.), the 1980s anti-drug campaign aimed at helping prevent and combat youth drug use.

However, to truly prevent kids from using drugs, our country needs programs that are proven to work. In particular, marijuana, since it is becoming increasingly legalized.

What we do not need is a reboot of the uninformed, unsuccessful D.A.R.E. model.

A number of academic studies have shown how D.A.R.E. was at best ineffectual and, at worst, more likely to convince kids to try drugs. The program failed to tap into youth culture and truly change kids’ views on drugs. I should know. As a middle-school student in 1996, I was part of the era.

Read the full op-ed at TheHill.com

Andrew Freedman is the former director of Marijuana Coordination for the State of Colorado. He is the Co-Founder of Freedman & Koski, a Colorado-based consultancy. Freedman is also leading the Youth Marijuana Prevention Council.

This story was first published on TheHill.com

Topics: commentary, DARE, education, Jeff Sessions, just say no, teens, war on drugs