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Turbulent drag reduction efficiencies (%DR) of aqueous poly (ethylene oxide) solutions at various distances τ ≡ (T θ − T )/T θ away from the theta temperature (T θ ) are studied. It is found that only the long-time behavior of %DR of the system is sensitive to τ in that %DR decays faster for systems closer to the theta-point. Usually, this faster decay is attributed to the faster mechanical molecular degradation (MMD) of polymers in bad solvents produced by turbulence. However, temperature quenches experiments close to T θ show that the apparent faster decrease in %DR for polymers closer to T θ is not due to MMD but rather because of the shrinking of the polymer after they have been injected into the turbulent flow. The relative insensitivity of the initial maximum %DR can be understood if T θ is considered as a function of the flow.