As summer break winds to an end, and another school year begins, many unsuspecting 5th graders and junior high students across the country will get their first introduction to drugs. No, it won’t be on the playground or the back of the bus, but as a part of their classroom curriculum, as the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program (DARE) kicks off its 31st year in existence.
Over three decades of War on Drugs propaganda comes at a cost, however. “Just Say No” coloring books and foil badge stickers ain’t free you know! With schools in disrepair, teachers being laid off, and art, music, and extra-curricular activities being defunded, many schools are deciding that their books may be more easily balanced without DARE in the budget.