Fall 2012 - Georgia Meth Project

FALL | 2012
Georgia on Wild
Meth Chase
Meth Readily Available For Teens
A speeding Jeep, its tires screeching against a
metro Atlanta road, collides with an oncoming
car, sending it airborne as it flips over a lawn
of parked cars.
Inside is bruised and bleeding Joel MartinezEspino, 32, of Michoacán, Mexico. Police find
15 pounds of methamphetamine, worth more
than $300,000, tucked away in a backseat
duffle bag.
Fighting for Georgia’s Future
Meth Education Shifts into high gear
Meth use is an epidemic in many Georgia
communities.
Children suffer serious
neglect from Meth addicted parents and
get swept into foster
care, teenage students
say they can easily find
Meth to buy, Meth related injuries crowd
hospital emergency
rooms, and local sheriffs
say they spend most
of their time pursuing
crimes related to Meth.
MethProject.org provides a platform for classroom discussion through its
immersive media tools. The website is designed to spark exploration and
engagement though more than 350 pieces of interactive multimedia content.
The devastating effects of Meth on Georgia are well documented and relentless. But
the Georgia Meth Project is a genuine lifesaver – fighting for Georgia’s future with the
launch of the “Not Even Once” media and community outreach campaign.
A high-speed police chase in Gwinnett County
ended in a crash and the recovery of more
than $300,000 worth of methamphetamine.
(Photo by WSB-TV)
This high-speed drama is just one example
of Georgia law enforcement coming headto-head with the threats of Meth. Millions of
dollars worth of the drug was seized in Georgia
over the past six months, and hundreds of
producers, smugglers and dealers were jailed.
It’s become an all-too-common headline.
(Cont’d on page 2 sidebar)
80 percent
of Meth in
Georgia is
trafficked
by Mexican
cartels.
www.GeorgiaMethProject.org
The campaign first aired more than 48,000 radio and television ads, and placed more than
500 billboards around the state. Next, the campaign began targeted online advertising
through which Georgia teens have viewed the video ads more than 18 million times
in just 10 months.
Now, the Georgia Meth Project
will reach teens via a new, largescale educational program in
every school in Georgia. With
instructional tools built specifically
a round Met hProject.org, the
new program includes videos,
illustrations, games and other tools
designed to educate teens about
the dangers of Meth, while creating
a n engaging env ironment for
teens to participate in classroom
“How will Meth lead to unwanted sex?” MethProject.org answers conversation.
with a video of desperate young sisters at a truck stop; one tells
A pilot version is already in place in
three men, “You can do anything you want to me for $50.”
regions of the state hardest hit by
the Meth epidemic, and the program will expand statewide in early 2013. Many schools
plan to incorporate Meth education into their general health curriculum moving forward.
“We can’t personally see Georgia’s 860,000 teens each year, so this program will help
extend the reach of the message beyond our school visits,” said Jim Langford, Georgia
Meth Project Executive Director. “This will expand our daily impact as we work to
expose all Georgia teens, for years to come, to the truth about Meth.”
“The Georgia Meth Project’s dynamic website and lesson format will change the way
we’re able to talk to students about Meth,” said Larry Ferrell, health teacher at Columbus
High School. “In my 32 years of teaching, I have not seen a prevention message explained
in such detail. These new campaign materials will get the conversation started and
help keep it going.”
Georgia on Wild
Meth Chase (Cont’d)
According to the Drug Enforcement
Administration, the majority of Meth in
the U.S. is produced by Mexican drug
organizations. And now Georgia is the central
distribution hub for Mexican Meth smuggled
throughout the East Coast. This trafficking
accounts for more than 80 percent of all
Meth in the state.
DIGITAL:
New Face of Meth Project
GEORGIA TEENS VIEW ADS 18 MILLON TIMES
The pure, Mexican-brand synthetic
substance is making Meth an urban drug,
dangerously complementing its historically
small-town presence.
“Meth is making its
way into Georgia
and into our teens’
hands, wreaking
havoc in our state.”
MethProject.org demonstrates the harsh realities of Meth through interactive animations, videos,
image galleries, polls and quizzes, among other tools.
When the Georgia Meth Project
l a u n c h e d i n 2 0 1 0 , h a rd - h i t t i n g
broadcast and billboard advertising
catapulted the “Not Even Once”
m e s s a g e a c ro s s a i r w a v e s a n d
highways, capturing the attention of
teens and adults statewide.
Moreover, Mexican cartels have new methods
of transporting Meth across borders. Drug
traffickers import Meth in its raw, powdered
state or in a liquid form to be refined in
Georgia “conversion labs” into a streetready crystal substance. As the DEA’s John
Donnelly told the Wall Street Journal, “These
sophisticated logistics show how Mexican
drug groups have developed the business
expertise to adapt to changing markets and
law-enforcement strategies.”
“Meth is making its way into Georgia and
into our teens’ hands, wreaking havoc in
our state,” said Jim Langford, Georgia Meth
Project Executive Director. “Law enforcement,
while working to keep up with the changing
production and distribution methods, can’t
be expected to solve this epidemic alone.
Prevention among young people is crucial.”
With “ice” available at low cost and producing
an intense high, first-time users are easily
taken in by the drug at tremendous risk.
The good news is that, in 2011, 52 percent
of Georgia teens believed there was “great
risk” in using methamphetamine just once
or twice, according to the Georgia Meth Use
& Attitudes Survey. That figure compares
to 41 percent in 2010 when the Georgia
Meth Project first launched its intensive
ad campaign.
“We have made great progress, but we still
have much work ahead of us to increase
awareness about the devastating impact of
this drug,” Langford said.
www.GeorgiaMethProject.org
Following this initial success in
raising awareness, the campaign
began concentrating its “Not Even
Once” messaging more directly on
the medium-of-choice among teens:
the Internet.
In late 2011, MethProject.org launched
as an online portal that educates
teens and challenges them to “ASK
MethProject.org.” This interactive
space is the newest and most advanced
source of Meth information.
METH HAS A WAY OF MAKING
DECISIONS FOR YOU.
Make the right choice. Click here.
The campaign’s new online ads provoke teens to
visit MethProject.org for facts, tools and resources to
understand the risks of first-time use.
The results are proving its worth.
In the first nine months of the new
campaign, more than 18 million
Georgia teens viewed the new online
video ads.
“That is an amazing statistic given
that we have 860,000 Georgia teens
in the 12- to 17-year-old age group,”
said Lee Shaw, Georgia Meth Project
Chairman. “Obviously these teens and
other Georgians are viewing our ads
multiple times.”
Supported by geo-targeted advertising
on YouTube, Facebook and other hightraffic websites, these strong results
make the case for the transition from
traditional media advertising to a fullfledged online experience.
Children Victimized by Meth Epidemic
These shocking numbers apply in Georgia
and nationwide. A 2012 study from Baylor
University found that a 1 percent increase
in Meth use led to a 1.5 percent increase in
foster care admissions.
Amid news of multimillion-dollar drug busts
and international drug rings, it can be easy
to overlook Meth’s most innocent victims.
Children in homes with Meth labs are often
neglected, malnourished, exposed to toxic
chemicals and put at risk of explosions.
Meth has a record of leaving users completely
incapacitated and unable to care for
dependents, thus destroying families. Child
deaths are not uncommon when Meth enters
the picture.
Eagar spoke with the Georgia Meth Project
about the drug’s devastating impact on
children.
GMP: Why is it important to address the
Meth epidemic in Georgia?
Eagar: Children deserve to grow up in
safe and healthy families, and get started
A study published in the
health journal Addiction
provides new evidence of the
extremely addictive nature
of methamphetamine and
highlights the importance
of Meth use prevention.
Advocates
for Children
on a path to living happy and productive
lives. Meth kills those prospects, kills
hopes and dreams, and kills people. It’s
also a tremendous financial burden on our
society. Economically, intervention costs us
exponentially more than prevention.
GMP: Can you describe some of the Methrelated cases you see?
Eagar: Meth-using parents are usually
incapable of thinking about anything
except how to obtain their next dose, so it
exacerbates the neglect. One way parents
have been known to get their drug money
is to prostitute their own children – often
continuing a destructive cycle.
GMP: What do you think of Georgia Meth
Project’s approach to the Meth problem?
Eagar: With some people, it only takes one
experience with Meth to become hopelessly
addicted. We need an entire generation of
young people to hear Georgia Meth Project’s
message loud and clear, and make the
decision to never try it, even once. Only then
will this terrible drug go away.
School Out for Summer?
Not For Georgia Meth Project
In the first half of 2012, more than 17,000 students were
introduced to “ASK MethProject.org” by the campaign’s
community outreach specialists. And they didn’t take the
summer off. The Georgia Meth Project team hosted 35 events
created exclusively for young teens in Boys & Girls Clubs,
YMCAs and community recreation venues across 17 counties.
“Our work in communities statewide did not stop just because
Students rally behind the “ASK” school was out,” said Latrina Patrick, Georgia Meth Project
campaign at Barrow County’s Back
Program Manager. “We are expanding our relationships with
to School Bash in July.
youth-serving organizations to extend the reach of our messages
about the dangers of Meth. To impact as many students as we can in the most ways possible,
it’s important that we stay engaged with teens year-round.”
These efforts have continued into the new school year, aiming to meet with 35,000 students at
150 schools in 55 counties by the end of 2012. With the growth of the Meth Project team and more
forums for these conversations, the number of face-to-face interactions is reaching new levels.
Since day one, the Georgia Meth Project has never shied away from tough conversations with
students both in the classroom and in the community. Each year thousands of young people in
all regions of the state learn about the repercussions of first-time Meth use and the downward
spiral that results.
80% OF USERS RELAPSED WITHIN 1 YEAR. 88% RELAPSED WITHIN 3 YEARS.
Few have witnessed the horrors of Meth
more than Patty Eagar and her team at
Advocates for Children in Bartow County,
which serves more than 2,600 children
each year through foster care admissions,
child advocacy, housing and other efforts.
More than 75 percent of their foster care
admissions are Meth-related.
Meth Addicts–
Few Recover
Researchers found that only 20
percent of Meth addicts who quit
the drug remained clean after
one year, and only 12 percent
after three years.
Researchers from the Society
for the Study of Addiction, an
organization that promotes
a scientific understanding
o f addiction a n d r e l a t e d
problems, studied Meth addicts
participating in three programs:
group detoxification, residential
rehabilitation and a control
group undergoing no treatment.
They evaluated the participants
at three intervals: three months,
one year and three years.
Results showed no reduction
in frequency of Meth use
among those who underwent
group detox, tracking a usage
frequency similar to those in the
control group. The residential
rehab did produce lower usage
at three months; however,
80 percent of former users
relapsed within 12 months, and
88 percent were using the drug
again within 36 months.
Even with a high level of
treatment, methamphetamine
users find it very difficult to
remain clean for extended
periods of time. These results
underline once again the critical
importance of prevention in the
fight against Meth.
© 2012
Speak up
The Loss of a Father
By Gina, age 15
I was always closer to my dad than my mom. He
was like my best friend. I always thought he was
the smartest person I’d ever know – until he started
doing Meth.
BREAKING BAD
Spotlights Meth Corruption
The AMC series “Breaking Bad,” a critical success with millions of fans, vividly
shows the dark and ruthless nature of the methamphetamine trade.
Walter White is a high school chemistry teacher recently diagnosed with
advanced lung cancer. He begins to self-destruct when he enters the world of
methamphetamine cooking and selling, all in the name of his family’s well-being.
He started spending more time out than he spent
at home. He was always telling my mom and me
conspiracy stories about his friends, paranoid that
everyone was always out to get him. He started
wanting me around less and fighting with my mom
more. It got to where he wouldn’t sleep for four days
at a time saying that he felt 16 again.
In January of that year, he went across the country
telling my mom and me that he was looking for
work. He never came back. My father and my best
friend left when Meth was brought into the picture.
My father doesn’t want to talk to me anymore, or
see me, and he doesn’t know a thing about my life.
My father left everything he cared about when he
started doing Meth two years ago.
Some people write
s t o r i e s . Others
take photos or
paint. These are
the ways teens
can share their
messages about
Meth and join the
conversation on
MethProject.org.
Artwork titled “Hide My Meth”
submitted by Madison M. from Georgia
®
3715 Northside Parkway NW
Suite 1-320
Atlanta, GA 30327
e info@GeorgiaMethProject.org
p (404) 556-9787
w www.GeorgiaMethProject.org
The outcome, of course, is anything but positive for his life and family. In time
he morphs from suburban dad to drug kingpin overseeing laundering, extortion,
bribery, robbery and murder.
“‘Breaking Bad’ is, at its core, a story of transformation,” Rolling Stone writes.
“It’s less a character arc than a plunge down a moral elevator shaft.”
As the final season approaches, the writing is on the wall for Walter just as it is
for actual Meth dealers and users. As The Huffington Post puts it, they “inevitably
see their lives start to unravel as a result of their lifestyle.”
Compared to the real Meth lifestyle, some say “Breaking Bad” is sugarcoated.
The effects are even worse and the falls steeper and deadlier. Nevertheless,
the program is a public demonstration of the dead end that is the
methamphetamine lifestyle.
Georgia Meth Project Leadership
Board of Directors
Thomas M. Siebel, Palo Alto, CA
Founder, Meth Project Foundation
Lee Shaw, Atlanta
Chairman, Georgia Meth Project
Jim Langford, Atlanta
Executive Director, Georgia Meth Project
facebook.com/GeorgiaMethProject
Advisory Council
twitter.com/GaMethProject
Rep. Paul Battles, Cartersville
Carl Bouckaert, Dalton
Rosalynn Carter, Plains
Walton Clark, Atlanta
YouTube.com/GaMethProject
www.GeorgiaMethProject.org
Dr. Melvin Deese, Brunswick
Ty Dickey, Atlanta
Dr. Jordan Greenbaum, Atlanta
J. Madden Hatcher III, Columbus
Robert F. “Robbo” Hatcher, Jr., Macon
Jack Hodge, Gainesville
Alfred W. “Bill” Jones III, Sea Island
Neil Kaltenecker, Atlanta
Nasor Mansour, LaGrange
Lewis Massey, Norcross
Clay Miller, Dalton
Richard G. Mooney III, Thomasville
Richard Otto, St. Simons Island
Nina and Bill Schwartz, Atlanta
Gaye Smith, Atlanta
Thomas C. Weller, Jr., Atlanta
© 2012
WE NEED YOUR
CONTINUED SUPPORT
to turn back Georgia’s Meth epidemic.
Why Georgia Meth Project?
Nearly all Georgia Meth Project funding comes from private donors who want to do their part. Join the
individuals and organizations highlighted below and listed on the back who are making a difference in Georgia.
John Fox, President and CEO
Emory Healthcare
Vance Bell, CEO
Shaw Industries
Q: Why did Emory Healthcare choose to support Georgia Meth Project?
Q: Why did Shaw Industries choose to support Georgia Meth Project?
A: M
ethamphetamine is a devastating drug that ruins the health of
the users and the lives of family members and loved ones. Emory
Healthcare is committed to improving the health of the people in
our community. Therefore, we strongly support the outstanding
work of the Georgia Meth Project in raising awareness about the
repercussions of Meth use.
A: Methamphetamine has hit hard in Georgia where our business is
located. Local and state law enforcement are doing great work
finding Meth producers and traffickers, but the fight can’t stop
there. If young people don’t understand that Meth will destroy
their lives, we’ll never beat this drug. Prevention is key, and that’s
why we’re 100 percent supportive of this campaign.
Q: A s a healthcare provider, what do you think is the most significant
consequence of Meth use in our state?
Q: How have you seen Meth impact your community?
A: T he sheer number of patients in emergency rooms with
methamphetamine-related problems is straining hospitals across
Georgia. The quantity and range of health-related consequences
of Meth use is staggering – burns, heart attack, stroke, psychosis
and child abuse to name a few. This drug is overwhelming Georgia’s
healthcare facilities.
A: M
eth has had devastating effects here in Whitfield County over the
last decade, and the same thing is happening in my hometown of
Macon. It’s truly a statewide problem now. That’s how this drug
works – it first destroys individuals, then families, then communities.
Whitfield County Sheriff Scott Chitwood says that Meth is the number
one crime generator in this community.
Q: W
hat else should individuals or organizations considering donating
to this campaign know?
Q: Why should business leaders join the fight against Meth?
A: We’ve seen that all it takes is using Meth once to create a lifetime of
physical, social and mental problems. Preventing first-time Meth
use is essential, and the Georgia Meth Project is doing just that.
They’re our answer.
A: I can’t stress enough the urgency of this problem. It’s not something
law enforcement can beat alone. We cannot ignore Meth without
seeing serious consequences for our communities and businesses.
It’s a problem that impacts all of us, whether we know it or not.
Meth affects our workers and their families in ways that have real
economic consequences for them and for employers like Shaw
Industries. But more tragically, this drug is killing many people and
ruining the lives of countless others.
FLOORS
®
You can give using the enclosed envelope or by visiting our website:
www.georgiamethproject.org
Thank you to all of our donors who have joined in the fight against Meth.
TRANSFORMATIONS: $ 1 MILLION +
Robert W. Woodruff Foundation
A Friend of Georgia Meth Project
Don
ors
Paul Tudor Jones
LEGACIES: $250,000 – $999,999
O. Wayne Rollins Foundation
The Marcus Foundation, Inc.
U.S. Federal Appropriations
Shaw Industries
James M. Cox, Jr. Foundation/Cox Enterprises
(COPS Grant)
Siebel Foundation
Shaw Family Foundation
FUTURES: $100,000 – $249,999
Helen and Harry Saul Foundation, Inc.
Anonymous
R. Howard Dobbs, Jr. Foundation
The Aflac Foundation, Inc.
Emory Healthcare
Alan S. Lorberbaum Family Foundation
J.B. Fuqua Charitable Lead Annuity Trust
Bradley-Turner Foundation
Textile Rubber & Chemical (Chip Howalt)
Hamilton Health Care System
Callaway Foundation
Thomas C. Weller, Jr.
The Imlay Foundation
PATHWAYS
$25,000 – $99,999
SunTrust Foundation and
SunTrust Bank Trusteed Foundation –
Greene-Sawtell Foundation
The Cousins Foundation, Inc.
The Home Depot Foundation
Williams Family Foundation of Georgia, Inc.
Elizabeth B. Ramsay Fund of the
Bradley-Turner Foundation
Sartain Lanier Family Foundation
Pam Rollins
Central Georgia Health System
The Luther and Susie Harrison Foundation
Scott Hudgens Family Foundation
J&J Industries, Inc.
Kaiser Permanente of Georgia
Synovus
TSYS
Knox Foundation
John P. & Dorothy S. Illges Foundation
Beaulieu of America, Inc.
Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation
Global Payments
John N. Goddard Foundation
Holder Construction Foundation
Mac Schuessler
Northwest Georgia Community Foundation
The Coca-Cola Company
Invesco, Ltd.
Clyde Shepherd
Jim Jolly
Engineered Floors, LLC
Broadfield Foundation
Mildred Miller Fort Foundation
CHANCES
$10,000 – $24,999
Peyton Anderson Foundation
John Huland Carmical Foundation
Georgia Power Foundation, Inc.
Diane W. Parker Charitable Fund
Gary W. Rollins
Church of the Good Shepherd
Mr. and Mrs. D. Abbott Turner II
Dickey Family Foundation
Macon SAFE Fund
James R. Dellinger, Jr.
Amos Family Foundation
Clayton P. Boardman III
Mary Allen Lindsey Branan Foundation
Stephen T. Butler Fund of the
Bradley-Turner Foundation
Charles Caye, Jr.
George E. and Glenda Deese
Georgia Pine Level Foundation
Mrs. J. Madden Hatcher, Jr.
Haverty Furniture Companies
James M. Hull
Lanier-Goodman Foundation
Lyle Industries
Eleanor McCamy
Ida Alice Ryan Charitable Trust
Quickrete Companies
Waffle House Foundation
The David, Helen and
Marian Woodward Fund
William D. Young, Jr.
HOPES
$1,000 – $9,999
Bryan and Donna Hair
Shaw Family Foundation
(Clare, Robert and Sarah Shaw)
John Tice
R.H. Bickerstaff
Georgia-Pacific Foundation
Bernard and Anne Howell Gray Advised Fund
(CFGA)
Clayton Miller
Phil Neff
Garland Sales
Southwire Company
Superior Court of Richmond County
Jeffrey Wilks
Wilks Broadcast Group
Byron Williams
Phil Tomlinson
Anonymous
Mr. and Mrs. Mike Meadows
(Michael’s Carpets)
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Massey
Community Foundation Central
Savannah River Area
Ted Carlton Education Foundation, Inc.
(IIAG-YAC)
Mr. and Mrs. David Scott Charitable Fund
Braye Boardman
John R. Cleveland
Georgia Meth Project Staff
Donald and Marilyn Keough Foundation
Barry L. Storey
Will Weston/Blanchard & Calhoun
Insurance Agency
Ann and George Youmans Foundation
Atlanta Forum Tommy Aldredge
Memorial Golf Tournament
Mark and Tracy Courtney
Arthur Vinings Davis Foundation
Dunlap-Williamson Foundation
Equifax Foundation
Fickling Family Foundation
William H. Flowers, Jr. Foundation
Goldman Sachs
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Heekin
Mason Lampton
Richard Mooney
Morris Communications LLC
W.B. Turner
Turner Enterprises
Dr. and Mrs. Philip C. Watt Charitable Fund
Georgia Agents Management Services, Inc.
William D. and Becky Matthews
Bob Monk/Worth Insurance Agency
Metro Alliance of Independent
Insurance Agents/Gould Hagler
Allstate Foundation
American Insurance Association
Archbold Hospital
Kelly and Steve Caffarelli
Jack Bandy
John Bowling
Carpetcrafts
Chick-fil-A, Inc.
Walton Clarke
Dellinger Management
Ty Dickey
Dr. and Mrs. Michael Haney
Holtzman Insurance Agency
Ken and Jody Jackson
Mr. and Mrs. Jim McCormick, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Walter Miller
Homer Rice
Starr-Mathews Agency
Jerry and Marta Turner Charitable Fund
Joel Wooten
FRIENDS
$250 – $999
Metro Alliance of Independent
Insurance Agents/Charlie Williams
Anonymous Donor
Mr. and Mrs. Dewey Reams
(Dalton Paper Products)
St. Paul United Methodist Church
Dianne Brannen
J. Madden Hatcher III
Chip Sellers
Sherrill & Company
David Wilkerson
W. M. Blackman
Church Risk Management of Georgia
Mrs. Robert G. Dennis
Kohls
Karyl H. Lauder
Mickey D. and Berrien Long
Eugene Maddux
Gene W. Milner
Lela M. Mitchell
Mr. and Mrs. John Neal Family Fund
The People’s Agency, Inc.
Pritchard & Jerden
Sims Appraisal Service
James M. Swain & Associates
E. L. Thompson and Son
Mr. and Mrs. John Turner
Watson & Knox, Inc.
RC Balfour III
Dodd-Barnes Charitable Fund
Susan and Steve Owings
Greg H. Adams
W. Clay and Frances H. Campbell
Scott Chitwood
Erica Ellis
Richard Gold
Skip Ham
Beth and John Wight
Ronald C. Hart
John and Loveanne Addison