The Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, otherwise known as the D.A.R.E. program, says ‘Euphoria’ promotes drug abuse and addiction in teens. Before season one aired in 2019, Zendaya (who plays Rue) made an Instagram post saying “Just a reminder before tonight’s premiere, that Euphoria is for mature audiences. It’s a raw and honest portrait of addiction, anxiety and the difficulties of navigating life today,” she wrote. “There are scenes that are graphic, hard to watch and can be triggering. Please only watch if you feel you can handle it.”

‘Euphoria’, shows Rue, a high school student involved with drugs and toxic friendships. D.A.R.E. released a statement saying,“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.”

D.A.R.E. said that they would like to talk to the representatives of ‘Euphoria’ to present their concerns.

“It is unfortunate that HBO, social media, television program reviewers, and paid advertising have chosen to refer to the show as ‘groundbreaking,’ rather than recognizing the potential negative consequences on school age children who today face unparalleled risks and mental health challenges,” the statement says. After their statement was released, Zendaya released another statement of her own on Instagram. “I know I’ve said this before, but I do want to reiterate to everyone that Euphoria is for mature audiences. This season, maybe even more so than the last, is deeply emotional and deals with subject matter that can be triggering and difficult to watch”