There are a lot of things to be mad about in the year 2022. But for D.A.R.E., you know, the organization who made you talk to cops about smoking while you were still playing with crayons, the most outrageous thing to happen in pop culture is Euphoria.
The anti-drug movement known as D.A.R.E reached out to TMZ to express their concern with the way they portray drug abuse and risky behavior. The organization said:
“Rather than further each parent’s desire to keep their children safe from the potentially horrific consequences of drug abuse and other high-risk behavior, HBO’s television drama, Euphoria, chooses to misguidedly glorify and erroneously depict high school student drug use, addiction, anonymous sex, violence, and other destructive behaviors as common and widespread in today’s world.”
The show has been criticized in the past for their drug storylines, but they have also been applauded for their realistic portrayal of addiction and drug abuse.
D.A.R.E offers to work with the show in order to send a better message to teens. A rep said, “We would welcome the opportunity for our team, including members of our high school-aged Youth Advocacy Board, to meet with individuals at HBO who are involved with producing Euphoria to present our concerns directly.”
On the one hand, yes, the show portrays a lot of drug usage. On the other hand, it is an HBO show made for young adults who are out of high school therefore can make their own decisions, not teenagers who have bedtimes before the show even airs. If this was happening on, say, Stranger Things, then maybe they would have a solid point.
