Faces of Meth and Heroin Users

"Faces of Meth™ is a project of the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office. This project began when a deputy in the Corrections Division Classification Unit, Deputy Bret King, put together mug shots of persons booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center. Deputy King worked with his co-workers in the Classification Unit to identify people who had been in custody more than once. He then worked to verify criminal records and files to determine and assure a history of methamphetamine related use. Deputy King also started interviewing people in custody to learn of their drug use, experiences with methamphetamine, how or if methamphetamine contributed to their criminality, and asked what they would tell young people about methamphetamine.

What Deputy King set out to do was create a realistic presentation about methamphetamine. He didn’t want to create something that made people curious about a drug nor that was a scared straight program. The idea was simple, be honest with kids, let them hear directly from the inmates, and show them what people who work on the front lines –whether it be a Corrections Deputy in the Jail, a Police Officer on the streets or a Public Health Nurse in a clinic see methamphetamine doing to people and to our communities." (Quoted Directly from Faces of Meth website)

I used this Oregon website to demonstrate the effects of methamphetamine abuse. I do not live in Oregon but methamphetamine abuse happens here too. Heroin and meth arrest make up 75% of our jail inmates. For example our county 5 years ago had approximately 300 arrests a year. Last year it was almost 2000. This year it might be 2500-3000 by the end of the year. I was reading our local paper online and viewed the active arrest warrants. 25 pictures of wanted individuals were posted together, the effects of drug abuse was apparent. I knew some of these people and it breaks my heart. Sadly the pictures I seen reminds me of the faces of Meth website. The pictures are used to educate kids and young adults of the danger of drug abuse.

As powerful as these words & images are, drug offenses are increasing. No community or family is immune from the repercussion of drug abuse. Drug offenses have increased 500% in our small, picturesque village these last few years. Sadly the devastation of drug abuse exists in my extended family too.

It's heartwrenching knowing some of the family I have been part of since 1986 have fell into this trap. Their appearances changed as well as their personalities from shooting up heroin? Methamphetamines ? Their minds and bodies wasting away. Drugs ravage the body and kill.

The addict isn't the victim, the children of an addict pay in the long run. Children of addiction end up living with other family members or in foster care. Children of addicts end up alone or become orphans.

That's the reality of drug abuse.