cannabisnews.com: Our Duplicitous Drug Dialogues Our Duplicitous Drug Dialogues Posted by FoM on February 25, 2001 at 21:17:56 PT By Jonathan Zimmerman Source: Washington Post Suppose you're a seventh-grade teacher in an American public school. The school's new drug education curriculum requires you to lead your students in an "honest discussion" about marijuana. Drawing from the curriculum's suggested questions, you ask the students how marijuana use might affect their schoolwork, their athletic performance, their friendships and their family life. Then a hand shoots up."Excuse me," a student asks. "Did you ever smoke pot?" Like millions of other American adults, you probably did. Maybe you still do, every now and then. But if you want to keep your job, you will dodge the question. Or you will answer it -- with a lie. So much for "honest discussion."Recently America's leading drug-education program announced a fundamental shift in its approach. For almost two decades, Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) has sent police officers into the nation's schools to teach children the dangers of illegal narcotics. In the face of mounting evidence that the program does not deter drug use, however, DARE officials have decided to try a different tack. Instead of lecturing on the perils of drugs, police officers will lead discussions about why people use these substances. Likewise, regular classroom teachers will conduct role playing and other exercises to provoke dialogue about drugs -- and especially to help children make "responsible decisions" about them.In many ways, these changes echo the historical shift in education about America's most commonly abused drug: alcohol. By 1901 every state required instruction in "the dangers of alcoholic drinks." Textbooks emphasized liquor's damaging effects upon the brain, liver, lungs, heart and stomach. Even eyesight was imperiled. "Do you remember what we said about the red eyes of the hard drinker?" one 1906 text asked. "It is useless for such a person to ask the doctor to cure his eyes as long as he uses strong drink."With the rise of medical science, chemists and physiologists began to challenge many of these claims. So did newly minted experts in the field of experimental psychology, who charged that scare tactics and exaggerations would alienate students or even tempt them to drink. Better to lead the children in a discussion of the full scientific, historical and sociological facts about alcohol, so that they could reach their own decisions about whether and how to use it.By the repeal of national prohibition in 1933, textbooks had dropped many of their distortions and lies about alcohol. In the guise of "discussion," however, schools continued to teach the same basic theme that had permeated the subject from the start: abstinence. Adults now could use alcohol legally, of course, but they did so at great risk to themselves and their families. Children must never drink, because even a small amount of alcohol could lead them into a life of ruin.The new DARE approach reflects a similar mix of sincerity and duplicity. We should applaud the program for abandoning its singular focus on the dangers of illegal drugs, especially its wildly inflated estimations of their addictive properties.On the other hand, we should realize that DARE's goal has remained the same: to deter kids from using drugs. Despite the new rhetoric of "honest discussion," every lesson will encourage children to choose abstinence and abstinence alone.That might be a worthy objective, but it's not honest. It's not even a discussion. An honest discussion of illegal drugs would have to acknowledge that many people have used them without harm, that other democracies regulate them in a different manner, that legal drugs sometimes cause more damage than illegal ones and so on.If we truly believed in our children's ability to make "responsible decisions," we would allow -- even encourage -- this type of dialogue. Instead, we provide only the information that tends to support our decision. That's indoctrination, not education. Children always know the difference, even when educators do not.The writer is author of "Distilling Democracy: Alcohol Education in America's Public Schools, 1880-1925." He teaches history in the School of Education at New York University.Source: Washington Post (DC) Author: Jonathan ZimmermanPublished: Monday, February 26, 2001; Page A19 Address: 1150 15th Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20071Copyright: 2001 The Washington Post Company Contact: letterstoed washpost.comWebsite: http://www.washingtonpost.com/Feedback: http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/edit/letters/letterform.htm CannabisNews DARE Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/DARE.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #5 posted by WHO CARES on February 28, 2001 at 13:41:43 PT THE DRUG WAR IS A JOKE D.A.R.E. DRUGS ARE REALLY EXCELLENT http://www.jackherer.com [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on February 26, 2001 at 11:34:58 PT Hi Ras Hi Ras, Can I ask you a big favor? I have a very hard time reading caps. I don't know if others do but my eye sight is extremely strained. Would it be ok with you to maybe use small letters? I wouldn't say anything but it does hurt me eyes. Thank You and I appreciate all your comments. Why don't you register so no one can use your name but only if you want to.Thank You, FoM! [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by RAS JAMES RSIFWH on February 26, 2001 at 11:01:41 PT GOOD TEACHING FIRST QUESTION I ALWAYS ASKED MY STUDENTS WAS WHICH DRUG KILLS THE MOST PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES EVERY YEAR. THEN I WOULD LET EACH STUDENT TAKE A GUESS. FINALLY I WOULD WRITE THE DEATH TOLLS ON THE BOARD. DEATH TOLLS FOR ONE YEAR ALCOHOL...............150,000 COCAINE.................3,000 HEROIN..................3,000 MARIJUANA...................0 TOBACCO...............400,000STUDENTS WOULD GASP IN DISBLIEF. THEN A STUDENT WOULD ASK; "DID YOU EVER SMOKE MARIJUANA?" MY ANSWER; "NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS." THE SAME ANSWER THEY ALWAYS GOT FOR VERY PERSONAL QUESTIONS LIKE; "DID YOU EVER MASTERBATE?" ETC. ETC.AS A TEACHER I WON THE D.A.R.E. CLASSROOM DOOR PRIZE TWICE. IN MY LAST TWO YEARS BEFORE RETIRING, I ABANDONED THIS ANTI-SOME-DRUGS PROGRAM AS MORE AND MORE OF MY STUDENTS WERE BEING SHOT AND KILLED BECAUSE OF THIS SO CALLED "WAR ON DRUGS".JAH BLESS THOSE INNOCENT YOUTH WHO DIED IN THIS HYP0CRITICAL WAR THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on February 26, 2001 at 09:27:02 PT: Related Article Don't DARE http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8809.shtml [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Dan B on February 25, 2001 at 23:52:13 PT: Great Article I applaud Jonathan Zimmerman's approach in this article: he doesn't stoop to name calling (as the prohibitionists often will), he doesn't produce false statements and treat them as the truth, and he doesn't belabor his point. In clear, concise, and no uncertain terms, Zimmerman declares that the best way to educate our children is to be honest with them. This is an approach advocated by Marsha Rosenbaum of The Lindesmith Center, among many others. If this country were really interested in reducing the harm caused when kids abuse drugs, this is what we would do:(1) Teach kids the truth about relative harms associated with popular drugs, encouraging both abstinence and harm reduction.(2) Legalize the use of all drugs; the sale, cultivation and use of cannabis; and the distribution of clean needles, thereby removing from drug use the "rebel" aura of illegal activity. (3) Continue distributing condoms in schools, and stop pretending that kids don't know anything about such things as sex and drugs.(4) Support groups like DanceSafe that test certain drugs for purity.(5) Institute drug maintenance programs, like the heroin maintenance program in Switzerland that has shown such promise in reducing the harm associated with the use of that drug, to help those who are addicted to at least remain be productive members of society.(6) Provide other forms of addiction treatment for those who want it.(7) Encourage positive parental involvement in their childrens' lives, rather than encouraging parents to rummage through their childrens' rooms looking for "contraband"* These seven strategies would do much to show kids the truth about drugs. If you want kids to understand the dangers of drug abuse, what better way to teach them than to let them see how drug users function in society? If you want parents to become more involved with their children, don't tell them to do things that will only serve to alienate their children. If you want to keep kids from harming themselves with drugs, use methods that actually reduce the harm associated with drugs--not the simplistic, curiosity-inducing method of telling them to "just say no."Dan B*(I am convinced that Joseph Califano's statistics regarding lower reported drug use when parents crack down on their kids is an artifact of the fact that these kids will be less likely to tell the truth about their drug use for fear of parental retribution). [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: