Officer Crane's D.A.R.E. car was seized from a local drug dealer. The Problem D.A.R.E. was initiated because there continues to be an alarming increase in drug use among young people. Statistics show that 1 in 12 young people smoke marijuana regularly. While use of illicit drugs overall is falling nationally, the trend of drug abuse among young people continues to grow. In the last few years, the number of young people between the ages of 12 and 17 using hallucinogens, including LSD, has gone up 183 percent, according to a recent study by the federal government.
Many teens think smoking, drinking and using exotic drugs are passports to adulthood.
D.A.R.E. was founded in 1983 in Los Angeles and has proven so successful that it is now being implemented in nearly 75 percent of our nation's school districts and in more than 44 countries around the world. D.A.R.E. is a police officer-led series of classroom lessons that teach children how to resist peer pressure and live drug and violence free lives. D.A.R.E. goes beyond traditional drug abuse and violence prevention programs. The program emphasis of D.A.R.E. is to help students recognize and resist the many subtle and overt pressures that cause them to experiment with drugs or become involved in gangs or violent activities. In addition, program strategies are planned to focus on feelings relating to self esteem, interpersonal and communication skills, decision making, and positive alternatives to drug behavior.