A randomized longitudinal field experiment evaluated the short- and long-term effects of the D.A.R.E. program on students' attitudes, beliefs, social skills, and drug use behaviors. Students from urban, suburban and rural schools (N=1,798) were followed for more than 6 years, with surveys administered annually from 6th through 12th grades. Annual teacher surveys measured studentsþ cumulative exposure to post-D.A.R.E. drug education. Multilevel analyses (random-effects ordinal regression) were conducted on seven waves of posttreatment data. The D.A.R.E. program had no long-term effects on a wide range of drug use measures and did not show a lasting impact on hypothesized mediating variables, with one exception. Previously documented short-term effects had dissipated by the conclusion of the study. Urban and rural students showed some benefits, whereas suburban students experienced small but significant increases in drug use after participation in D.A.R.E. Notes, tables, figure, references