Debate Nirvana

The most important thing with drug education is to teach kids why they should refuse these substances. If the students are learning how to make good decisions about drugs and alcohol, than they will be more likely to continue to refuse drugs in the future. DARE is focusing on these decision making skills in order to make their program effective and reduce drug usage in children. In 2009, DARE started a new program, based on an older program called Keeping it Real, which focuses on teaching children good decision making skills. Studies from Penn State University in 2011 (after the new program was implemented), a collaborator in the new program, said that students who completed this program, saw a 29% decrease in their desire to use drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, and had better decision making skills. 6,000 students filled out questionnaires about their use of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana at several points over a two-year period. The reports from students who completed the program indicated that they sampled these substances less than those in a control group, and used a wider variety of strategies to stay sober. Their antidrug attitudes were also more likely to stick over time. Another government study conducted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, funded by the National Institute of Health, with 1,300 students who were already using drugs, showed that the program reduced substance use at a rate that was 72 percent higher than the control group. With support from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, DARE scientifically evaluated this program and found that it was able to improve decision making skills when it came to these substances, as well as decision making skills in general.

The D.A.R.E program strengthens community in schools, making students friendlier towards police officers and their school. Results from a 2008 peer-reviewed study indicate that students who are taught by a police officer during the D.A.R.E. program have more positive attitudes toward the police following graduation. Schools have reported D.A.R.E. officers as providing a "sense of safety and calm" in the wake of school shootings and street violence. According to a school official in Colorado, "police are often looked at as the bad guy, or the one that's going to come in and get you for being a bad guy, and I think that D.A.R.E. provides an opportunity for our young kids particularly to find out that officers can be a resource for protection, for answers for some questions, for direction and for care." Police officers report that D.A.R.E. has made them "seem more human in the eyes of children in the community." In Richmond, CA, where crime was a major issue as well as police shootings, the new police chief implemented police community building. Since Magnus implemented his reforms, Richmond, once one of the most violent cities in the United States, has experienced an extraordinary reduction in crime. In 2013, the city had just 16 homicides, the city's fewest in 33 years.

According to drugwise.org.uk good quality drug eduacation can make a catastrophic difference in drug reduction. Good education can include accurate and information about drugs and why they will harm your body.

Since 2009, studies done on the DARE program have shown that students who complete the DARE program have seen a 32% to 44% reduction in marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol use. These students have also seen a 29% to 34% decrease in their want to use these substances. Though D.A.R.E’s last program was a bust there new program has reduced drug use by a huge amount. Also according to dare.procon.org studies have shown that D.A.R.E ha beneficial effects on student knowledge of drugs and attitudes about drug use.

If D.A.R.E. wasn't a satisfactory and effective program, the government would've gotten rid of it back in the 80s. Clearly, they had to be doing something right to keep it circling around America for over 30 years. Drug use and drug overdoses has decreased. The government, including the Department of Defense and the Department of Justice would not fund something unless they deemed it useful, effective, and beneficial. Plus, if no parents have gone against it, it must be good on the parent’s end. So the parents are happy  and the children are too. So D.A.R.E. must be effective if the government, children, and parents agree that it is good enough to put time and money into. According to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, D.A.R.E. has taught children well and has satisfied parents in their children's drug education. In a survey done in 2007, 95% of the 5,376 children they surveyed said the program helped them decide against using drugs later in life. Also, 95% of those children said that D.A.R.E. taught them well about the topic of drugs. And, 99% of the 3,095 parents showed very high support for D.A.R.E. 96% of parents agree that it had a good impact on their child and that they benefited from it.