I saw a presentation on drugs the other day. It was aimed at an audience of 12-14 year olds, and, like most anti-drug presentations, was carried out in the gym. The gym, as it happens, was about twenty degrees Fahrenheit. The presentation was no warmer. One woman, one powerpoint presentation, one film.

The woman operated the powerpoint from a chair seated in front of the screen, with her back to the students. The time and cadence of her voice betrayed some drug use on her part—namely that of large animal sedatives. I know it’s not my place to criticize the anti-drug policies of a country so squeaky clean that 13 year old kids carry pencil bags with LARGE cannabis leave emblazoned on the sides and think nothing of it. No parent in their right mind would buy that for a child in America, but here, it’s gone totally under the radar—no one even recognizes drugs, even when they’re helping little Mio house her Hello Kitty correction fluid and capybara keshigomu. “SMILE AND PUNCH” pencil bags also arouse no suspicion, but that’s another story.

Anyway, drugs. Anti-drug lady is lulling us to sleep , which is all well and good, because I can’t understand most of what she is saying. Then her presentation is over. Much fiddling with DVD players and projectors ensues. We begin watching a film without sound. It’s also entirely in black and white, which could be a technical difficulty or just a poor stab at film noir. We watch the movie without sound for five minutes, just long enough to see a young woman begin her descent from pert, responsible office worker to booze-hound.

When the sound comes on, we don’t rewind. I can only assume that the film’s message against drinking must not be very effective if the staff deemed it entirely unnecessary to the protection of their students’ innocence. I am unfazed. She drinks. With a couple guys. It’s ok. She goes home with one guy, pretty sloppily. They sit on the couch. He breaks out some cigarettes. They are on the screen for almost an entire second before he pulls out a tiny packet of silicone granules (DO NOT EAT). I guess correctly that they’re not there to keep his cigarettes dry, but that they are DRUGS. He invites her to join him, but she declines. She is convinced in very short order, and smokes for the first time, sputtering as she finishes.

The screen swims. Things go downhill very quickly. Cut to an Unsolved Mysteries type of guy. He describes the dangers of drug use, even going as far as showing pictures of each. Apparently meth is the largest danger anyone can face in Japan, and I realize that’s what the young lady had used a few moments before. I’ve never actually seen anyone smoke meth, because no school official ever thought it would be a good idea to demonstrate HOW to do drugs to pre-teens. I guess I’m super lame, but it just never occurred to me that meth involved a pipette and aluminum foil. I just don’t give a fuck.

So, meth is the enemy. Ecstasy is also damnable, and hashish, cannabis, cocaine, and heroin get a passing glance before we go back to the young lady. Please note that never is an actual cannabis plant shown, which helps me understand why SO MUCH STUFF is unashamedly adorned with pot leaves and worn or used by people who have never had the slightest whiff of the sticky icky. Plenty of pre-teens in America may be sporting pot-themed clothes, but I am assuming their attempted association with drugs is intentional, if ridiculous. So, no pot leaves, but whatever. This girl is fucked.

She stops going to work. She’s no longer cute. There’s a scene in which she shoves great amounts of food in her mouth, and I have a flash of some really strange fetish porn. The scene goes on too long. (I didn’t know meth made you ravenous—I learned something new here.) She continues doing drugs. Unsolved Mysteries cuts in again, saying more things I don’t understand. Back to the girl. She is screaming about the bugs, “Mushi! Mushi!” This is graphic. Almost as effective as the catchy, “Meth, Ooo-oo-ooo Meth! Get this dirt all out of my face; get these bugs all out of my place!” jingle I remember from that PSA. In short, she’s got it bad. she is trying to shoot something into her arm after her psychotic bug episode, so I’m not sure if that means she’s moved on to harder drugs or that she’s just changed her fix method. Can you even shoot meth? I am square, so I don’t know these things.

Something stops her (bugs, maybe?), and she picks up the phone, calling a drug hotline or 119. She is flipping. the. fuck. out. The woman on the other end is helpful! But I can see why she’s not an onscreen presence: she needs to go back to the Carl Weathers School of Acting for a few months. SUDDENLY! The doorbell rings. We see a delivery man in the hallway with a package. For her! Apparently she had the strength to do some online shopping in her manic state, but is utterly terrified of the noises that herald the arrival of her purchases. She recoils at each knock, buzz, holler, etc. If I were her, I would too, because when we cut to her, the noises are terrifying, drugs or no drugs. Good on you, movie. The delivery man leaves a notice on her door and leaves. She screams a few more times at the woman on the phone, then makes her way out the window. Ho hum. Splurt. Woman on the other end is still screaming for her to be calm and that she is there for her. Young woman is dead in street below.

This is an image we had the joy of viewing once before, and are so glad to see again. If nothing else, this portion of the drug presentation was at least somewhat exciting. It might have even been interesting if the film had been in color.

I come away from the experience with one conclusion: this felt like a punishment. Maybe that’s what will make it effective! The students will link drugs with this afternoon, forever connecting drugs and an utter waste of time in their minds. If that wouldn’t steer someone away from drugs, I don’t know what would.

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