D.A.R.E.

Definition: D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is a school-based drug prevention program started in 1983 by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Unified School District. Police officers taught students about the dangers of drugs, including cannabis, and how to resist peer pressure. It became one of the most widely used prevention programs in the United States.

D.A.R.E

Did D.A.R.E. Work?

Not in its original form. Multiple studies in the 1990s and a 2003 review by the US General Accounting Office (now the Government Accountability Office) found that the original D.A.R.E. curriculum did not significantly reduce drug use among students over the long term. Critics argued its scare-based, abstinence-only messaging lost credibility with teens.

How Has D.A.R.E. Changed?

In response, D.A.R.E. adopted a new curriculum called “keepin’ it REAL” around 2009, which focuses on decision-making and communication skills rather than lectures. Research on that model has been more favorable, though experts still debate its effectiveness.

Why D.A.R.E. Matters in Cannabis History

For many adults today, D.A.R.E. shaped their first lessons about cannabis. As state legalization spread, modern prevention efforts have shifted toward harm reduction and evidence-based education about real risks, like how THC affects the developing brain, rather than treating all drugs the same.

Related terms: Controlled Substances Act, 420, Americans for Safe Access

Sources: US GAO: Youth Illicit Drug Use Prevention: DARE Long-Term Evaluations and Federal Efforts (2003); National Institute on Drug Abuse: Cannabis (Marijuana).