The problem of substance use is still a rampant, raging problem, especially here in America. Use and abuse have gotten a great deal worse over the past few years due to the recent pandemic. Although we have made some great strides over time toward reducing rates and successfully helping people to stop using through various treatment programs, wouldn’t it be awesome if we could totally prevent these problems from happening in the first place? Of course it would!

Early efforts were perhaps not as effective as modern-day, evidence-based prevention programs. In 1983, after realizing that law enforcement by itself was not enough to deter drug use, the LA Police Department and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) joined forces and created D.A.R.E. – Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E., 2023). They created middle- and high-school curricula. It was a significant start of a movement that has only grown and gotten better over decades.