BY KEVIN FLANDERS STAFF WRITER
AUBURN NEWS
REGION — Thanks to the Face2Face Program run by Worcester County Sheriff Lew Evangelidis, thousands of local students have now learned about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
At a recent event, Evangelidis surpassed the attendance threshold of 400,000 total students for his presentations throughout central Massachusetts. The goal is for students to walk away with knowledge directly from public safety officials on the perils of starting down the path of underage drinking and drug use.
“The opioid epidemic and general substance abuse are killing our young people. Prevention through education makes students think twice before they even start,” read a statement released by the Sheriff’s Office.
Worsened by the pandemic, substance abuse continues to ravage families across the country. In 2022, more than 80,000 U.S. citizens died due to an overdose involving fentanyl or other illicit substances. In 2023, that number skyrocketed to over 112,000 deaths.
Over the same two-year period, the New England Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reported an exponential increase in the amount of methamphetamine and other substances making their way into New England.
“These substances are being distributed in the form of counterfeit pills and have the potential to kill thousands of individuals who are obtaining drugs illegally,” read a statement released by the Sheriff’s Office.
Since the inception of the Face2Face Program during the Sheriff’s first term in office, Evangelidis has brought the program to nearly every school district in central Massachusetts.
“The Face2Face Program aims to divert today’s youth through advocacy and education on the latest drug trends,” the statement read. “Face2Face is an enthusiastic and modern-day approach to connecting with students through the use of videos, pop music, and real-life examples of the beforeand- after effects of substances on the human body.”
The Sheriff’s presentation focuses on the dangers of illicit substances and their extreme potency in the unregulated market. Evangelidis also focuses on the myths and facts surrounding popular trends among today’s youth, such as vaping, consumption of alcohol, sharing of prescription medications, and the ingestion of counterfeit pills under the guise of commonly prescribed pills that treat anxiety, depression, or ADHD.
The Sheriff’s presentation also includes a section that illustrates the negative impacts that various substances have on a person’s appearance over time. Life behind bars is also addressed during the presentation, as illegal drug use is a fast track to charges leading to jail time.
“Drugs and alcohol are the primary reason why 90 percent of individuals are incarcerated in the United States,” Evangelidis said. “The drugs available today are not the same drugs that were available decades ago. Their potency has significantly increased, and there are new highly addictive drugs making their way into our area.”
Evangelidis typically ends his presentations with one final slide that reads: “IT’S UP 2 U.” The Sheriff encourages students to make responsible decisions, ask questions, and decide what legacy they want to leave behind.
To learn more about programs and initiatives run by the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, visit www.worcestercountysheriff.com. For more information about the United States Drug Enforcement Administration’s One Pill Can Kill campaign, please visit www.dea.gov/onepill.
Worcester County Sheriff Lew Evangelidis offers a presentation for local students.
