DARE fundraiser highlights program

Tuesday, August 23 marks the 26th Annual New Hampshire DARE Classic 5k Road Race, the primary annual fundraiser for the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program.

DARE trains police officers to teach students about the dangers of drugs and how to resist peer pressure to use drugs. 

In light of the opioid addiction crisis in the state, supporters view DARE as an important tool to fight drug abuse on the demand side.

According to the DARE website, the program “exists solely on donations and grants” without a line item in the state budget.  That makes fundraisers like the DARE Classic 5k Road Race critical for DARE.

However, DARE has faced significant criticism.  In 2001 the U.S. Surgeon General found that “Overall, evidence on the effects of the traditional DARE curriculum, which is implemented in grades 5 and 6, shows that children who participate are as likely to use drugs as those who do not participate.” 

A 2007 article in Perspectives on Psychological Science subsequently placed DARE on a list of programs that potentially harm children. 

Following these criticisms, DARE changed its curriculum.  The effectiveness of this new curriculum is still being evaluated.

Click here for details on the DARE Classic 5k Road Race. 

Do you have an opinion on DARE?  Let us know in the comments.