Former Los Angeles police chief Daryl Gates created the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program in 1983 as a joint effort of the police department and the L.A. school district to fight drug use in the city's schools. It has since spread nationwide and abroad, as far away as Australia and New Zealand. Millions have been exposed to it. In most forms it consists of 17 one hour sessions, held weekly and covering subjects ranging from refusal skills to alternatives to drug use. It is taught by uniformed police officers and usually begins with fifth graders.
Funding comes from both governmental and private sources.
Nothing is wrong with teaching anybody of any age to assert themselves and think for themselves. Breaking the back of peer pressure is hard to do. And this can also help reject pressure to engage in unwanted sex and other temptations. What makes DARE different is having police officers teach the classes. That's kind of like having teachers arrest muggers.