BRITTNEY RAY Are Anti-Drug Programs Effective?

What Is D.A.R.E.? Most commonly used Anti- drug program Taught by specially trained police officers Consists of 17 1-hour sessions Lecture/Q&A based structure Taught to students grades K-12 Aims to open lines of communication between youth and law enforcement

80% of school districts nationwide use the D.A.R.E. program 54 countries around the world use teach D.A.R.E. 36,000,000 students receive a D.A.R.E. education annually United States Department of Education Bans Public School Spending on D.A.R.E.

Current Statistics on Drug Use 54% of Private School students report that drugs are available at school 61% of Public School students would describe their school as “Drug Infested” 17% of high school students have drank, smoked, or used drugs during school hours

2011 Monitoring the Future Survey Results 18.7% of 12 th graders & 6.1% of 8 th graders report smoking cigarettes in the past month 63.5% of 12 th graders and 26.9% of 8 th graders report drinking alcohol in the past year 36.4% of 12 th graders report smoking marijuana in the past year and 6.6% report daily use. 8.1% of 12 th graders and 5.9% of 10 th graders report abusing Vicodin in the past year 6.5% of 12 th graders report abusing Adderall

Drug Use Among High School Students Has Risen More High School Students are abusing the following drugs today than 10 years ago MDMA Heroin Narcotics Other Then Heroin Sedatives Tranquilizers Marijuana Hallucinogens other than LSD THE OVERALL PERCENTAGE OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ABUSING ANY ILLICIT DRUG HAS RISEN OVER 5% IN THE PAST 10 YEARS

Deaths from Overdoses Have Increased

Reasons Teens Begin Using Drugs Top Risk Factors For Drug Abuse 1. Reduce Negative Affect 2. Enhance Positive Affect 3. Social Cohesion 4. Addiction 1. Family History of Substance Abuse 2. Depression 3. Low Self-esteem 4. Feeling Unable to Fit In With Peers Why Does D.A.R.E. Fail?

Outside Influences Social Media Advertising Television Music

Social Media’s Influence Teens Who Use Social Media Are  5 times more likely to use tobacco  3 times more likely to abuse alcohol  2 times more likely to use marijuana  Find it 4 times easier to get marijuana  Find it 3 times easier to get prescription drugs  Find it 2 times easier to get alcohol TEENS WHO USE SOCIAL MEDIA ARE ALSO TWICE AS LIKELY TO SAY THEY BELIEVE THEY WILL USE DRUGS AND ALCOHOL IN THE FUTURE

The Anti-drug Program D.A.R.E. Is Not Effective At Preventing Drug Use Among Teenagers In Conclusion