DARE programs were notoriously ineffective. Some studies found that students who went through it were MORE likely to try drugs.
I also had a fairly friendly cop come in for our DARE classes when I was a kid. They also basically just said “drugs are always bad, just say no, if you don’t your whole life is ruined.”
They didn’t talk about why people use drugs. They lied or exaggerated negative effects. They discouraged any critical thinking about it. It was not a good program.
ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works 4 hours ago
My DARE program had the cop dads but none of the safety and safe place stuff. I would attribute it to the mixed racial makeup of my district, if the comparison stands up to yours. The DARE cops talked about gangs more than anything.