Drug Prevention Education

Most drug prevention education in America is geared to young people. This is the group most likely to experiment with drugs under the influence of peers. According to Monitoring the Future, a national survey that measures drug use among young people each year, 2002 showed the first significant drop in drug use among youth in nearly a decade, with reductions noted among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders. Levels of use for some drugs are now lower than they have been for almost 30 years. Such declines are unusual, and their underlying causes remain unclear. The same survey does show, however, that some drug use among 12th graders, for example, has remained above 40% since 1996, up from 29.4% in 1991. These statistics bring into question whether the comprehensive measures being taken to reduce youth drug use, including drug prevention education programs, are having the desired effect.

Drug prevention education programs are aimed at reducing the risk factors that promote abuse and building protective factors. These programs aim to deliver information, education, and harm-reduction strategies through a variety of media: school-based education programs, television campaigns, billboards, logos, newspaper advertisements, and so forth. Some police departments also disseminate drug prevention information. The government allocates billions of dollars each year to such programs. For example, for 2003, the budget for the Safe and Drug Free Schools program was $694 million; for the Drug-Free Communities Program, $70 million; for the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, $170 million; and for the Parents Drug Corps Program, $5 million (White House Report, 2003).

There are many national, state, and local drug prevention education initiatives, all aimed at preventing illicit drug use. The following are some of the national-level programs:

• Boys and Girls Clubs of America: This program seeks to instill a sense of competence, usefulness, and belonging among young people. The program areas include education, health, arts, careers, leadership development, and athletics. The program includes elements designed to prevent pregnancy, alcohol/drug abuse, and involvement in gangs.
• Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE): In this school-based program, uniformed police officers teach youth and parents about the dangers of substance abuse. The program derives from the social skills/social influence model of drug education. Although this program was highly popular among police departments when it was first introduced, in recent years a number of law enforcement agencies have dropped the program because its effectiveness still remains in question and because reductions in police budgets have warranted changing priorities.
• Drug-Free Communities Support Program: This program assists community-based efforts to reduce youth abuse of alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, and inhalants. The program enables community coalitions to strengthen their coordination efforts, encourage citizen participation in substance abuse reduction efforts, and disseminate information about effective programs.
• Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT): This program provides a wide range of structured, [Page 154]community-based activities and classroom instruction for school-aged children. Certified/sworn, uniformed police officers and federal agents teach youth about the consequences of gang involvement, including violence and drug abuse.
• Juvenile Mentoring Program (JUMP): This program supports one-to-one mentoring programs for youth at risk of dropping out of school and becoming involved in delinquency, including gang activity and drug abuse.
• National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign: This is a multidimensional effort designed to educate and empower youth to reject illicit drugs. The campaign attempts to reach Americans wherever they live, learn, work, play, and pray. It makes use of television, radio, online and print advertising, school-based educational materials, Web sites, and partnerships with civic and faith service organizations.
• Office of National Drug Control Program's Athletic Initiative: The Athletic Initiative uses sports as a vehicle to help prevent young people from turning to drugs.
• Safe and Drug-Free Schools: This program is designed to prevent violence in and around schools, and to strengthen programs that prevent the illegal use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. Program elements involve parents and are coordinated with related federal, state, and community efforts and resources.
• Strengthening America's Families: These “best practice” programs are provided by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in collaboration with the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. The programs aim to strengthen families by working with parents and caregivers, and at least one target child, to reduce risk factors and increase protective factors for problem behavior.
• Your Time–Their Future: The Positive Activities Campaign is a national public education campaign developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It encourages adults to become involved in volunteering, mentoring, and other efforts that help young people (ages 7–14) participate in positive activities and develop skills that build self-discipline and competence. It is expected that, as a result, the young people will avoid alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs.
• Girl Power: This is a national public education program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is designed to encourage and motivate 9-to 14-year-old girls to make the most of their lives. It seeks to reinforce and sustain positive values by targeting health messages to the unique needs and interests of girls.
• Reality Check: This is a nationwide program designed by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention to educate the public—particularly parents and teens—about the harms and risks associated with marijuana use, and to reduce its social acceptance.

Despite the recent small decline in drug use among youth, there is little evidence that drug prevention education programs work. Many claims are made for their effectiveness, but several literature reviews and meta-analyses of the programs have concluded that most are ineffective in preventing drug use. For example, a recent review of research studies on DARE, the most popular and visible program that has been adopted by many other countries in the world, concludes that it has been unable to show consistent preventive effects on drug use (Rosenbaum & Hanson, 1998). Whatever effects have been found have been small and short-lived, although the program seems to have more beneficial effects for urban than suburban children.

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