Youth, drugs and resilience education

Billions of dollars are spent annually on school-based drug education progr ams, with youthful drug use remaining near peak levels since the 1980s. Ins titutional, policy, and program evidence presented here suggests that altho ugh primarily delivered in schools, the educational community rarely partic ipates in the development of drug education; and despite the finding that " no-use" programs such as Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) or Life -Skills Training (LST) are likely ineffective, they continue to thrive in s chools. This may be explained by insufficient educational participation and scientific discourse considering these issues; and the role of interest gr oup politics, such as the symbiotic relationship between government, resear chers, and the tobacco industry, in drug education. In addition to this evi dence, resilience based program alternatives, evaluation, and implications are discussed.