Pubdate: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 Source: Daily O'Collegian (OK Edu) Copyright: 2004 Oklahoma State University Contact: http://www.ocolly.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1275 Author: Julie Dover HUDLIN GIVES OPPOSING VIEW OF D.A.R.E'S PRODUCTIVITY A Drug Abuse Resistance Education panel and guest speaker Roger Hudlin presented an opposing view of the drug program Wednesday night at the Drug Policy Forum of Oklahoma meeting. The speakers spoke against drugs and how the drug program and policy is not working. "It gives the appearance of doing something," said Roger Hudlin, current law enforcement against prohibition speaker. Almost half a trillion dollars are being spent to fight drugs, Hudlin said. The drug program alone costs $1.4 billion to operate. There have been 13 independent studies that proved that the drug program is ineffective, Hudlin said. "Drugs are cheaper and easier to get than they ever were before," Hudlin said. Hudlin is one of 50 in the prohibition group that travels around the country speaking against the program and about reasons for new policies. "Cops aren't teachers," Hudlin said. Other reasons Hudlin gave for not liking the program were that it's a waste of school time and it teaches zero tolerance. Hudlin said the program bunches everything together so it makes alcohol and tobacco in the same categories as illegal drugs. "D.A.R.E. makes assumptions that are wrong," Hudlin said. "It felt like they were brainwashing us," said Liana Shewey, a Stillwater High School junior and former student of the D.A.R.E. program. Another problem with the program is that students are supposed to open up to the instructor, but not many students want to open up to a uniformed police officer, Hudlin said. The program makes marijuana look extremely dangerous, and, when students found out what marijuana actually did, they were less hesitant to try harder drugs, Shewey said. "You're being told something that contradicts what you know to be true," said computer science senior Kenny Ingle. Hudlin was at one time an officer of the program for eight years. Hudlin is convinced the "War on Drugs" is a failure. Currently speaking against the program, Hudlin said he wants to establish a program that will help those in need. "It's ineffective and very confusing. Not many people know much about D.A.R.E. I remember I got a cool T-shirt," Ingle said. "Anything that can be done to end prohibition, stop the war on drugs is going to help every community in this country," Hudlin said. Hudlin focused on the idea of legalizing drugs so they can be taxed and the government can control what is in the drugs. "Our drug war is wrong," Hudlin said. Getting the people who believe this to get up and do something is what will help, Hudlin said. However, those people are receiving federal funding and nothing will happen, Hudlin said. "Once I became disillusioned with D.A.R.E. and the education thing, I realized it wasn't working," Hudlin said. Hudlin and the law enforcement group are continuing to fight prohibition of drugs around the country.