TV SERIES PROFILES TEEN DRUG USE

The video shows an angry, teenage girl with a know-it-all attitude,
continually dropping the f-bomb as she justifies her drug use.

"I say, 'It's O f----n' K,' " 18-year-old Kristie Swenson scoffs. "I'm
a stoner," she proclaims.

The clip, from an interview captured on film, appeared in the first
season of the SCN, Regina-based television series Drug Class. On
Wednesday, as she stood before an auditorium of students at Dr. Martin
LeBoldus High School, Swenson, now 20, admitted she is embarrassed by
that particular scene but has no regrets about participating in the
series.

"I see someone completely different; that's not me," Swenson said in a
scene from the second season of the 13-part series, which will
premiere tonight at 9 p.m. on SCN.

"Drug Class made me see myself for who I was -- no sugar-coating it. I
did not like the girl I saw," Swenson told those gathered for the
program's launch. "Somebody took over my body, and it scares me.

"One of the good things, though, about everyone being able to see me
act like an idiot is that hopefully it makes people look at
themselves," she added.

The Gemini award-winning series, produced by Cooper Rock Pictures,
weaves together stories of typical teens such as Swenson struggling
with drug and alcohol addiction, their parents' challenges, and the
classes taught by Regina addictions counsellor Rand Teed. While the
first season focused on the affects of drugs, this season will look at
making changes and regaining control.

This year will feature new youths, follow some of the previous ones
and include a new online element. Teed will be available for a live
online chat (scn.ca drugclass) for a half hour after today's program.
People posing questions can remain anonymous.

A retired teacher, Teed's been bringing his drug classes to Regina
schools for the last eight years and still does so today. He teaches
harm reduction, has a non-judgmental approach and doesn't shy away
from speaking about his own history with substance abuse.

Teed believes the series works so well because it's not simply him
talking. "When a kid or parent sees someone of that age talking about
'This happened to me' . . . that makes it way less
frightening."

While educational, Drug Class also includes a hard dose of reality. In
one clip, a teenage girl says, "I laid down and passed out and woke up
with some guy on top of me."

A parent speaks emotionally about her feelings of failure -- "My job
as a parent is to protect."

Swenson turned to drugs -- marijuana, LSD, ecstasy, ketamine, "pretty
much anything" -- at age 17 to fit in at her Regina high school. She
overdosed at one point and ended up comatose for eight hours.

Even then, even after treatment in an expensive, U.S. anti-drug
program, she was determined to keep using. Swenson said the video
footage "doesn't lie," forcing her to take a close look at herself.

Her life started improving about six months ago.

"It's a long hard process," she added. A hair stylist who devotes
herself to training in the martial art Muay Thai, she hopes others
might be helped by her experience.

Producer Lori Kuffner applauded the youths and families who took
part.

"We'll never know how many people we're reaching," she said, adding
there's no doubt their stories have become the source of change for
some.

Shooting for Season 3 is already underway.