Before then, the dangers of some drugs were not fully known and the government did little to regulate them. But it wasn't long before people realized that cocaine was dangerously addictive, and the creators of what would one day become the world's most popular soft drink eliminated the drug from the recipe around 1900. Since then a lot has changed. New drugs have been discovered and invented, and public opinion has swung back and forth. Many think the best way to limit drug use is to help people understand how harmful it is.
Drugs can destroy health, careers, marriages, families and whole neighborhoods.
Almost every American teenager gets some drug education in school as early as elementary school. But some people, including a minority of police officers, say these programs aren't working very well. The new DARE program will try to help older students deal with peer pressure to try drugs. Drugs have also become a problem in the work world. Addicted employees don't tend to be the most productive on the job.