DARE programs were notoriously ineffective. Some studies found that students who went through it were MORE likely to try drugs.

I also had a fairly friendly cop come in for our DARE classes when I was a kid. They also basically just said “drugs are always bad, just say no, if you don’t your whole life is ruined.”

They didn’t talk about why people use drugs. They lied or exaggerated negative effects. They discouraged any critical thinking about it. It was not a good program.