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Claire Nichols has been an Aroostook County public educator for 17 years. She is also in recovery and serving on the board of Michael’s Active Recovery.
1983 was the year the internet was born. It was also the year the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program began. Designed to reduce crime, violence and substance use through drug education delivered by law enforcement, DARE reflected the political climate of the 1980s, when the Reagan administration promoted a “tough on crime” approach and Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” campaign dominated public messaging around drugs.
That history made a recent decision by the Aroostook County Commissioners difficult to understand. The commissioners plan to spend more than $200,000 in opioid settlement funds on a one-year school resource officer position and cruiser to deliver a DARE-like curriculum in local schools. This comes as Aroostook County continues to face significant gaps in substance use prevention, treatment and recovery services.
Decades of research have shown these approaches to be ineffective. While education is one of the most powerful tools for improving outcomes and interrupting cycles of poverty and substance use, DARE itself failed to achieve its intended goals. After 10 years and billions of taxpayer dollars, independent evaluations found little impact on preventing drug use. In some communities, researchers even found higher rates of adolescent drug use among participants.
These findings raised serious questions about prevention programs centered on law enforcement rather than evidence-based public health strategies.
In 2024, the Bangor Daily News reported that Aroostook County sends more children to Long Creek Youth Development Center than any other county in Maine. Despite its relatively small population, the county has also relied on short-term incarceration, or “shock sentences,” for youth offenders at some of the highest rates in the state. These realities should prompt careful consideration of whether increasing law enforcement presence in schools is the best use of prevention funding.
The approved budget includes roughly $150,000 for salary and benefits, with the remainder covering a vehicle, training and equipment. The position would serve only six of the county’s 13 school districts for just one year.
If prevention education is the goal, there is a more cost-effective alternative. The LEAD (Law Enforcement Against Drugs and Violence) curriculum can be taught by trained educators and does not require a police officer. Offering stipends to educators to complete training and facilitate the program, along with training and curriculum costs, would likely total approximately $100,000, or about half of the current proposal..
More importantly, every elementary school in the county could benefit, not just a select group of districts. Remaining funds could support youth-centered prevention efforts that address social determinants of health linked to substance use, including food security, housing assistance, transportation, clothing, job training, driver’s education and family supports.
County officials argue that the proposal will not cost taxpayers because it uses opioid settlement funds. However, if districts are expected to continue the program after those funds are exhausted, they will inherit ongoing salary, vehicle, fuel, maintenance and operational costs at a time when school budgets are already strained.
Concerns also extend to the approval process. Critics note that, unlike other applicants, the commissioners did not submit a letter of intent, issue a request for proposals, or seek meaningful input from the task force established to guide spending decisions.
The issue is not whether one position has value. It is whether funds intended to repair the harm caused by the opioid epidemic are being allocated transparently, equitably and according to evidence-based practices.
I believe Aroostook County residents should contact their county commissioners and urge them to send this funding decision back to the opioid task force for proper review through the process established to guide settlement spending. The commissioners will meet again at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Caribou Court House. Join me in calling for transparency, accountability and meaningful community input in how these resources are allocated.