IndexPurposePhilosophyImplementation MethodEvaluation and EffectivenessMy RecommendationsDrug abuse among adolescents is a real troublesome problem. There is no doubt that substance abuse and delinquency have a positive correlation. That's why almost every city or town has experienced some type of teen drug abuse problem. Self-reports indicate that nearly 50 percent of high school seniors have tried drugs and as many as two-thirds of students have tried alcohol. Adolescents at higher risk come from poor neighborhoods and experience many problems, including dropping out of school and family problems. And an even more shocking revelation is the correlation between drug abuse and crime rates. Drugs are a very vague term. I'm not just talking about alcohol or marijuana. Adolescents use a wide variety of medications. Some cause slowed movements, others cause hallucinations. Some are highly addictive, while others not so much. This pattern of substance abuse and crime makes it a national concern. If we could effectively discourage teenagers from drug abuse, perhaps crimes committed by teenagers would decrease. However, I believe we should explore why teenagers take drugs in the first place. At the beginning of the 1980s, DARE was created. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Purpose Drug Abuse Resistance and Education was created in 1983 by the Los Angeles Police Department. More specifically it was invented by LAPD Chief Daryl Gates. One of Gates' reasoning for creating this program was that he had noticed that the large number of drug arrests occurring on school campuses was on the rise. He realized that educating students about drug use could be more effective than simply punishing them. As Gates told the LA Times in 1993: 'We had 'buy' programs in schools where undercover officers bought drugs from students. We kept buying more and more. It was scary, depressing. I finally said, 'This is crazy. We have to do something.' The aim of DARE was to “prevent the use of controlled drugs, gang membership and violent behaviour”. However, the message DARE actually conveyed was that “drugs are bad for you” and “just say no.” However, it's not that simple. It's not so black and white. This was one of DARE's first missteps. Philosophy Education was the philosophy that catapulted DARE to commercial success. The only reason I say “commercial success” is because there are many reasons why experts believe DARE has done nothing to get students to quit drugs. Despite this, the program preached education and raising self-esteem. DARE believed that if students simply understood the dangers and pitfalls that come with substance abuse, they would eventually say no to drugs. If they strengthened adolescents' self-esteem and strengthened their willpower, drugs would be avoided. But if this were true; why didn't it work? According to Lt. Joe Laramie, “the philosophy of the DARE program is a partnership between parents, school and law enforcement.” According to Lieutenant Laramie, DARE's philosophy is not based on just one aspect. It takes a community of people to make DARE work. Method of Implementation SMART experts were against Chief Gates' delivery of this brand new experimental training to the LAPD. However, this is exactly what happened. Gates believed that the copsincluded criminal culture and drugs. He viewed police officers as more skilled than teachers and therefore more credible in teaching the subject to students. So, in September 1983, the LAPD entered elementary classrooms and began educating students about drug abuse and the importance of self-esteem. It didn't take long for it to spread like wildfire. DARE has become a national phenomenon. Its popularity is largely due to the support it receives from athletes and politicians. DARE has received a lot of funding to continue its drug prevention program. In 1986, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) published the first independent evaluation of DARE. NIJ reported that DARE had short-term results. Despite all this criticism, DARE received NIJ funding as a result of the study. DARE also acquired a $140,000 grant from the Department of Justice to help expand the program. From its catchy media commercials, to President Ronald Reagan's proclamation of “National DARE Day” in 1988. Politicians believed this was a simple solution to the “drug problem.” By supporting DARE, they were simultaneously supporting cops and teenagers. By the early 1990s DARE was established in nearly 75 percent of the nation's schools. One of the reasons DARE was flawed from the start is because the officer training during the course did not use realistic scenarios. A scenario could play out just like this. The officer allegedly offered the drugs to the students. “Hey kid, wanna go smoke some crack.” Then the room would respond in unison. "No thanks. I have basketball practice." Then the officer would once again try to get the kids to do this imaginary drug that wasn't even there. “Aww man. I thought you were cool." And of course the kids responded with a smug comment. "Not doing drugs is COOL." Then the officer would ask you what you learned today? They learned nothing! It's really easy to say no to a cop Not so much when you're on the street and a real drug dealer asks if you want some free candy AND tells you if you want more, come back and see me Honestly, if they could have used more realistic scenarios, DARE could have been more Effective in Preventing Teen Drug Abuse Evaluation and Effectiveness After many years of popular success and infiltration into nearly 75 percent of the nation's schools, DARE received its first evaluation review from the National Institute of Justice ( NIJ) in 1986. The NIJ found that DARE had only short-term results. Despite this criticism from many scientific experts, DARE still received funding from the NIJ. This was by far not the last review of DARE. By the early 1990s, DARE had received dozens of studies concluding that DARE was not effective. In 1991, the University of Illinois concluded that DARE had not yet “changed student drug behavior.” In 1994, the Research Triangle Institute conducted a meta-analysis of all the research done in previous years. The results were devastating: DARE had almost no impact on teen drug abuse. This finding was so catastrophic that the Justice Department refused to release these findings, according to news reports at the time. Many post-RTI studies have found similar results. GIVE wasn't working. One study even went so far as to comment that DARE was actually having a negative impact on children who used drugs and made drugs more attractive. DARE couldn't believe these results. They believed that if they had.