28. Teens Didn’t Fully Believe The D.A.R.E. Curriculum
Most teens don’t fall for scare tactics like “fear-mongering,” which is how some D.A.R.E. professionals tried to use during the program. Teens tend to be very talented at catching and dismissing any exaggerations about adverse health effects of certain drugs like marijuana, which then discredited the rest of DARE’s efforts.
In one part of DARE’s curriculum, a ‘fact-sheet’ claimed that marijuana has no medical value, weakened the immune system, and caused insanity and lung disease. While this changed over the years, this statement became part of the downfall of D.A.R.E. in many communities.
