Just Say Know: What You Should Know About Federally-Funded Youth Drug Prevention Programs

The federal government continues to spend hundreds of millions of dollars per year on drug prevention programs that make little if any impact on youth drug use. Programs such as D.A.R.E., the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign and Random Student Drug Testing stand in sharp contrast to the successful anti-smoking “Truth” campaign, which generally follows the rules of good social marketing. This discussion will explore why federally-funded youth drug prevention programs fail and offer pragmatic alternatives that Congress should consider. Speakers include: Marsha Rosenbaum – Director of the Safety First Project and the San Francisco office of the Drug Policy Alliance. From 1977 to 1995, Rosenbaum was the principal investigator on National Institute on Drug Abuse-funded studies of heroin addiction, methadone maintenance treatment, MDMA (Ecstasy), cocaine, and drug use during pregnancy. She is the author of “Safety First: A Reality-Based Approach to Teens and Drugs.” Kris Krane – Executive Director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. SSDP is an international grassroots network of students who are concerned about the impact drug abuse has on our communities, but who also know that the War on Drugs is failing their generation and their society. They have chapters on hundreds of high school and college campuses. Please RSVP to Grant Smith at [email protected] or 202-216-0035. Snacks and beverages provided. Space is Limited.