DEA Museum’s Traveling Exhibit Opens in West Virginia

DEA Museum’s traveling exhibit Drugs: Costs and Consequences is back on the road, touring the United States.

On September 7, 2022, the exhibit opened at the West Virginia State Museum in Charleston thanks to partnerships with GameChanger West Virginia (a prevention nonprofit), Governor Jim Justice’s office, and a great deal of coordination from Randall Reid-Smith, West Virginia’s Commissioner of Arts, History, and Culture.

Due to the pandemic, the exhibit closed early in February 2020 at its Cleveland, Ohio, venue. In storage since then, it was refreshed by DEA Museum staff, who updated statistics and the entire visitor experience.

The exhibit now features Spanish translations in key areas and QR codes that deliver educational content in both Spanish and English. Also new is information on fentanyl, DEA’s One Pill Can Kill campaign, and photographs of people who lost their lives to fentanyl-related overdoses. A digital frame shares their pictures in the exhibit’s Lost Talent section.

“We are especially pleased to have updated an exhibit that has resonated with nearly 20 million visitors since its inception,” said Janice Wrzesinski, the DEA Museum’s Director. “What is thrilling is to know that Spanish speakers will also now be able to access the exhibit in their own language.”

For younger visitors, animated videos introduce different drugs’ effects on the body. The DEA Museum also provided the West Virginia State Museum with new educational materials and a STEM program on fingerprinting. Microscopes and hands-on activities bring this investigative disciple to life for school children who visit the exhibit and schedule the program.

DEA’s Louisville Division assisted Museum staff with creating a Local Story that explains challenges in the region and provides information on successful drug law enforcement cases.

“I am grateful to our partners and DEA’s passionate Museum staff for their hard work on updating the exhibit and getting it back in front of the public after the pandemic forced it into dormancy,” said Deputy Assistant Administrator for DEA’s Office of Administration, Jeff Rashap. “The exhibit’s messages about illegal drugs and the work of DEA coupled with the content about the consequences of drug use and misuse need to go far and wide. This exhibit is an effective way to reach communities most in need of these messages.”

The exhibit officially debuted with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the West Virginia Cultural Center’s great room. Leadership from DEA, GameChanger, and SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) delivered remarks.

Drugs: Costs and Consequences began touring the country in 2003 and was developed in partnership with the DEA Educational Foundation, which continues to provide advice and assistance to venues nationwide. The West Virginia State Museum is the exhibit’s 19th venue. It will also travel to Albany, Georgia, in February and then to Houston, Texas, in the fall of 2023.

“Museums are one of the most trusted sources of information in the country,” said Wrzesinski. “And they are an excellent tool to engage visitors of all ages with important content, and in this case, our content on the nature of DEA’s work, the science and harmful effects of drug use and misuse, and how individuals and communities can understand the challenges and move forward with hope for the future.”

For more information on the exhibit, go to www.drugexhibit.org.