by Jeff Elliott

About the author: Jeff Elliott is a freelance writer.

The October 1994 government flyer seemed like sweet vindication to the thousands of parents, police, and teachers who supported the Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program, better known by the acronym DARE. “The D.A.R.E. Program: A Review of Prevalence, User Satisfaction, and Effectiveness,” the headline on the single page boasted, describing a new study of the drug-education program. More happy news followed. “Not only is DARE widespread and popular, but demand for it is high,” read the flyer. DARE’s “. . . appeal cuts across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic lines [with] considerable support for expansion of the program.”

Success and Criticism for DARE

Sweet vindication indeed. Since its inception in 1983, the DARE curriculum had rapidly spread from the...