Brody's Notes... Drug Abuse By Young Gay & Lesbians- New Program May Help Curb Abuse

By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) FEB 25 | It's an open dirty secret at virtually every Gay & Lesbian club and venue across the United States that drugs are a constant presence and commodity- in all too many cases, tragically, use of Meth is rising especially by the young.

Now comes a new approach to combat drug abuse pioneered by Deputy Bret King and Deputy Curtis Sanders from the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon.

Given that vanity has never been lacking in the Gay community in particular, some experts think that the two Deputies may have hit on something that could actually have a significant impact.

From Drugs to Mugs is a drug education program designed specifically for classroom use in the Northwest and is a collaborative effort that would not have been possible without the input of many dedicated professionals.

The message is clear. Substance abuse will change your life in ways you never imagined. Using before and after photos collected from jail mug shots as the foundation for this 48-minute documentary, the authors easily make their case. The shocking images, taken over time, during the jail booking process, are alarming. The photos clearly illustrate the stark and devastating effects of substance abuse. The program features interviews with incarcerated addicts and experts who encounter the impact of substance abuse on society in their daily work—law enforcement officers, a judge, an addiction recovery specialist and a deputy medical examiner.

The Sheriff's office saw this new approach as a complementary program to the already successful " Faces Of Meth" programme that it had been operating for the past few years.

The Sheriff's office also noted that special thanks were due to Deputy's Bret King and Curtis Sanders who were responsible for research, development, and production of the programme. Revenue generated from the sale of From Drugs to Mugs will be used to cover the costs associated with production and shipping and enable the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office to continue to provide educational visits to the youth in classrooms throughout the Pacific Northwest.

For more information contact Deputy Bret King
Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office
Email: facesofmeth@mcso.us
503-988-4300