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PAMEtJ+ G. LJCHTY <br /> 2216 Aha Niu Place <br /> Honolulu. Hawaii 96821 <br /> <br /> June 16, 1997 <br /> TO: HA\V'AI'1 COUNTY COUNCIL FIi:.~\~CE COVLvIITTEE <br /> FROM: P.~MELA EIGHTY <br /> RE. TESTL\70NY Oti CONTRACT RENE\VAI. FOR D.A.R.E. PROGRAM <br /> Good morning Chairman Chung and members of the Committee. I'm sorry i couldn't be <br /> in Hilo today- in person to offer my testimony in opposition to the renewal of the DARE program <br /> contract. <br /> There has been increasing controversy surrounding the effectiveness of the DARE <br /> program in terms of its chief goal preventing drug abuse by children. The popularity of DARE is <br /> widely acknowledged. However, in this time of scare resources and growing demands on law <br /> enforcement, many drug education experts believe that the DARE program and methodology are <br /> not the most effective for achieving the goal of reducing or eliminating substance abuse among <br /> children. <br /> In April of this year, the University of Michigan released their Surveying the Future <br /> report. It revealed that dmg and alcohol use by teens and preteens has increased steadily for the <br /> last 3 veers. Bear in mind that this is the very group flf children who were subjected to years of <br /> 'just say no" types of drug prevention education. You have probabh• already heard about the <br /> major report published in Ihe.dnrerrcun Journnl njP«hlic Hen/!h detailing a comprehensive <br /> evaluation of all the studies of DARE. This report concluded that any drug prevention effects of <br /> DARE were minor and transitory. <br /> \V'hile the program may have some benefits, especialh in terms of the other social skills it <br /> teaches, it does not appear to be achieving its major goal Let me briefly summarize some of the <br /> concerns found in the literature <br /> Many e~;perts question both the appropriateness and the effectiveness of uniformed <br /> officers doing the teaching. These officers receive a scant two +veers of drug education in <br /> preparation for this role in contrast to the four years of college work that most drug prevention <br /> specialists have. More importantly perhaps, is this the best use for these officers in a time when <br /> the county budget is squeezed? Couldn't these officers be better used in the ttimtnunity <br /> addressing criminal activities directh•O <br /> l~ve had access to a curriculum review of several drug education programs done by a <br /> parent's group in a small A4assachuset school district (the Ashfield-Plainfield Regional School <br /> Distract) Among its criticisms of the DARE. Program Is the fact that its curriculum is formulated <br /> -eiepnor.e: 1808) 735-8001 Fax: (808) 735-2971 e-mail: p8lichtyClava.net <br /> <br />