DEA Museum’s Traveling Exhibit Opens at 20th Venue in Georgia

On February 7, 2023, the DEA Museum, the Office of Administration, DEA Educational Foundation, and the DEA Atlanta Field Division joined members of the Albany, Georgia, community and the Artesian Alliance to open an eight-month showing of the traveling exhibit Drugs: Costs and Consequences. The venue is the Thronateeska Science Museum, which worked collaboratively with the DEA Museum to plan and install the comprehensive 5,500-square-foot exhibit that has been traveling the country since 2002. This is the 20th venue for the educational and inspiring exhibit.

A special presentation and ribbon-cutting ceremony included speeches by DEA agents, employees, and experts from Georgia and DEA Headquarters. Additionally, a representative from the Center for Substance Abuse and Prevention, a component of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), spoke about their longtime partnership with DEA and the exhibit. SAMHSA’s support includes funding for school groups’ transportation to the exhibit, plus funds to hire a dedicated educator at each venue. Involved since the exhibit’s inception, SAMHSA also maintains an interactive area that covers mental health, drug use and misuse, addiction, treatment, and how to help friends and families with these challenges.

Speakers noted that in 2022, DEA seized more than 50.6 million fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills and more than 10,800 pounds of fentanyl powder. DEA’s labs have determined that 6 out of 10 seized pills tested contain an average of over 2 mg of fentanyl (a potentially lethal dose).

The DEA Museum customizes the exhibit for each city with a “Local Story.” In Albany, the story presented information about three drug seizure operations, the dangers of fentanyl, and three videos created by DEA’s AV staff and the Atlanta Field Division. Two were interviews with Albany residents who experienced addiction.

Jeff Rashap, DEA Deputy Assistant Administrator, spoke to the audience: “We find ourselves here together for a common purpose—to spread the word through our exhibit. To me, the most impactful parts of the exhibit are the local stories, stories from the families and individuals from this area who have suffered from drug addiction, drug overdosing, and drug poisonings. We need to listen to their stories, heed their warnings and advice, and learn from their tragedies.”

Colleen Whelan, Project Coordinator for the DEA Educational Foundation, stated, “We hope this exhibit will make a difference in students' lives, in your local communities, and across the state of Georgia. I like to remember what one school principal stated. She said, ‘this exhibit far exceeded my expectations,’ and we hear this from teachers from around the country.”

The Artesian Alliance, which operates the science museum, is creating one special event per month to entice visitors to engage with the exhibit. A tour for area social workers took place on March 22, and an outdoor community-wide event is scheduled for May 13.

“The exhibit will travel this fall to The Health Museum in Houston, Texas,” said DEA Museum Director Jan McKay. “As we search for a venue for summer of 2024, we are grateful to all of our partners who work to present this important learning opportunity to millions of our citizens.”

For more information, visit www.deamuseum.org and www.drugexhibit.org.