Pubdate: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 Source: Naples Daily News (FL) Copyright: 2002 Naples Daily News. Contact: http://www.naplesnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/284 Author: Julia Lane Brown ON DRUG EDUCATION To the editor, Naples Daily News: Regarding the letter from Robert Sharpe, Drug Policy Alliance, Washington, D.C. Mr. Sharpe, a program officer with the Drug Policy Alliance, must know a lot about drug abuse prevention. He states that D.A.R.E., the anti-drug education program taught by Collier County sheriff's deputies in every Collier County public elementary school, has been found to be either ineffective or counterproductive at keeping kids off drugs. Yet participation in D.A.R.E. is required of all Collier County public school students in fifth grade in order to be eligible to enter middle school. How much taxpayer money is currently spent on this program? How much deputy time is spend on training and implementation of D.A.R.E.? How many hours does each student spend going through the program? If participation in D.A.R.E. is at best ineffective, wouldn't students' time in school be better spent on academics? Since the program is well-intentioned, why not at least make it an opt-in program? We parents are the most effective anti-drug educators. We must pick up the baton and actively teach our kids that drug use is a lose/lose proposition. The choice to participate in D.A.R.E. should be left up to the parents and the student, not the bureaucrats. JULIA LANE BROWN Naples - --- MAP posted-by: SHeath(DPFFlorida)