1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:04,160 Speaker 1: Before he kicked the habit. Robert Bedeida shot heroin for 2 00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:05,640 Speaker 1: almost fifty years. 3 00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:08,000 Speaker 2: Drug's always been a problem for me. And when you 4 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:10,559 Speaker 2: shoot drugs, you use drugs, and you have drugs, you 5 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:12,920 Speaker 2: don't have no problems a drug, use it with drugs 6 00:00:12,960 --> 00:00:13,880 Speaker 2: as a happy person. 7 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:16,319 Speaker 3: It's when you don't have it that the problem begin, 8 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:16,960 Speaker 3: you know. 9 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:21,480 Speaker 1: And Robert's problem with drugs led to legal trouble. He 10 00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:24,360 Speaker 1: was in and out of jail for most of his life, 11 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:29,160 Speaker 1: starting when he was just eleven years old. Today, Robert 12 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:33,000 Speaker 1: lives back in his hometown of Fajarro, Puerto Rico. He's 13 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:35,280 Speaker 1: a wiry sixty nine years old. 14 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:38,199 Speaker 3: I don't look it and I don't act it, but 15 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:39,199 Speaker 3: I am. 16 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:39,600 Speaker 4: A little under. 17 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:42,199 Speaker 1: Ten years ago, Robert was picked up by the police 18 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:46,040 Speaker 1: and convicted for possession of stolen articles. The court in 19 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:49,280 Speaker 1: Puerto Rico gave him an option go to prison for 20 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:57,240 Speaker 1: three years or spend eighteen months in a place called ogagrea. 21 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:04,479 Speaker 1: Oh God means home in Spanish and grea could mean 22 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:08,000 Speaker 1: create or to believe, but it's also an acronym. It 23 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:12,840 Speaker 1: stands for comnidad baral re, educacion deadictos or in English, 24 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: community for the re education of attics. It's a drug 25 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:23,919 Speaker 1: treatment program, and their representatives are all over the island 26 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: of Puerto Rico, even in the courthouse. 27 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:28,600 Speaker 3: I didn't know they were coming. I didn't ask for 28 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:29,080 Speaker 3: him to come. 29 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:31,120 Speaker 2: They were at the court room when I got there, 30 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:33,280 Speaker 2: and they asked me, would I like to go to 31 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 2: cre or go to jail. 32 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:37,880 Speaker 1: Robert chose to go to Grea. He thought, why not, 33 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:43,959 Speaker 1: I'll try this out. During his stay at Grea, Robert 34 00:01:43,959 --> 00:01:46,640 Speaker 1: lived with about twenty other guys in a barrack style 35 00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: concrete dorm building, one of several on the property. Everyone 36 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:54,680 Speaker 1: in the compound was on the same schedule by five o'clock. 37 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:56,360 Speaker 3: You got to be on. Get in line by bah 38 00:01:56,400 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 3: blah bye. 39 00:01:56,800 --> 00:01:59,400 Speaker 2: You gotta say it a positive statement for them on 40 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:01,920 Speaker 2: and then you wait a while. They call breakfast, You 41 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:04,120 Speaker 2: eat breakfast, and then the day's starts. 42 00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:06,360 Speaker 3: You go on to therapy. 43 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:10,640 Speaker 1: But therapy in this case is not what you normally 44 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:14,200 Speaker 1: think about when you think of therapy. This one involves 45 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:17,880 Speaker 1: putting on a bright yellow T shirt, going door to 46 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:20,360 Speaker 1: door and selling baked goods. 47 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:21,359 Speaker 3: Oh God. 48 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:24,679 Speaker 1: Graa calls this sales and representation. 49 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:25,480 Speaker 3: Therapy. 50 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:29,880 Speaker 2: Sales and representation that's one of the therapy's sessions that 51 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 2: they got. I'm laughing because it's it's comical. 52 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:36,320 Speaker 1: And if you've spent significant time in Puerto Rico, chances 53 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 1: are you've experienced their famous sales pitch oh da. 54 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:46,799 Speaker 5: Go. 55 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:49,040 Speaker 1: After detox. As soon as they can walk right, Krea 56 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:53,240 Speaker 1: residents are sent into the streets to sell things, mostly 57 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:57,239 Speaker 1: cakes and custards produced by an industrial sized bakery owned 58 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:02,320 Speaker 1: by Grea itself. They're outside in the hot sun all day. 59 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:05,960 Speaker 1: They're often given no food or water, and they can't 60 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:10,560 Speaker 1: return until they've sold everything. Once they're back, they fork 61 00:03:10,639 --> 00:03:15,040 Speaker 1: over all the cash they made to Grea. The theory 62 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:20,120 Speaker 1: is that soliciting, sometimes literally standing in busy intersections selling 63 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:23,960 Speaker 1: cookies and cakes, will help addicts to stop doing drugs. 64 00:03:24,639 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 1: It also just so happens to bring in a lot 65 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:32,959 Speaker 1: of money for Grea. Robert thought he knew what o 66 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 1: god Krea had in store for him. He went in 67 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:38,200 Speaker 1: hoping it would do him some good and maybe even 68 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:41,760 Speaker 1: help him get off of heroin, But quickly he found 69 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:43,160 Speaker 1: out that wasn't the case. 70 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:46,040 Speaker 2: Great exists for a long time, so I figure it 71 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:50,440 Speaker 2: would be more professional. I figure it would be more helpful, but. 72 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:52,680 Speaker 3: There wasn't nobody there but the knowledge you know to 73 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:53,040 Speaker 3: help you. 74 00:03:54,400 --> 00:04:00,200 Speaker 1: From Futuro Media. It's Latino USA. I'm Maria ino Josa today, 75 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:04,000 Speaker 1: the story of the controversial drug treatment program that dominates 76 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:07,320 Speaker 1: in Puerto Rico and the strange things that people say 77 00:04:07,520 --> 00:04:14,520 Speaker 1: happen inside. You've probably heard about the surge in opioid 78 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:17,359 Speaker 1: and heroin use that's been ravaging many regions in the 79 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:20,920 Speaker 1: United States, But what you might not know is that 80 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:23,920 Speaker 1: the crisis is worse in Puerto Rico, and it has 81 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:27,400 Speaker 1: been for over half a century. There are as many 82 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:31,039 Speaker 1: as sixty thousand people who inject drugs in Puerto Rico. 83 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:35,479 Speaker 1: That's about two percent of the island's population. That means 84 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:38,520 Speaker 1: that people in Puerto Rico, give or take, are about 85 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:41,960 Speaker 1: eight times more likely to inject drugs than the US 86 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:48,800 Speaker 1: population as a whole. The largest drug treatment provider on 87 00:04:48,839 --> 00:04:52,680 Speaker 1: the island is Ogarkrea. They run about sixty centers in 88 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:55,560 Speaker 1: Puerto Rico, not to mention many others on the US 89 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:59,440 Speaker 1: mainland and elsewhere in Latin America. In addition to their 90 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:03,320 Speaker 1: own fund raising efforts, OGDGREA receives millions of dollars in 91 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:08,520 Speaker 1: funding from both local and federal governments. Despite being the 92 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:12,440 Speaker 1: biggest and best funded rehab on the island, ogri Gream 93 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:15,800 Speaker 1: and their treatment methods have been controversial, some would even 94 00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:21,120 Speaker 1: say abusive. I'm gonna hand it off now to reporter 95 00:05:21,240 --> 00:05:24,520 Speaker 1: Juaquin Cottler, who's been working on this story for over 96 00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 1: a year. We're going to learn about ogd Kream, its background, 97 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:32,160 Speaker 1: and the larger than life man who founded it. Oh 98 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:35,520 Speaker 1: and by the way, there's some adult language in this story, 99 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:36,600 Speaker 1: which we've bleeped. 100 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:46,919 Speaker 4: Pretty Much everyone in Puerto Rico either knows someone or 101 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:50,560 Speaker 4: knows of someone who has been through O Godkrea. For 102 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:53,680 Speaker 4: over fifty years, Crea has been the rehab center on 103 00:05:53,720 --> 00:05:56,520 Speaker 4: the island, and heroin has been the drug of choice 104 00:05:56,560 --> 00:06:00,000 Speaker 4: for Puerto Ricans. OGA Crea was founded by a man 105 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:03,520 Speaker 4: named Juan Jose Garcia Rios, better known by his nickname 106 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:07,279 Speaker 4: Che Juan. He eventually became such an important figure in 107 00:06:07,279 --> 00:06:09,560 Speaker 4: Puerto Rico that he had a rendition of his life 108 00:06:09,640 --> 00:06:12,440 Speaker 4: story released on vinyl. The record is in the style 109 00:06:12,480 --> 00:06:18,880 Speaker 4: of an old radio drama. The record chronicles chihuan struggle 110 00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:21,320 Speaker 4: with drugs from the first time he smoked marijuana when 111 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:21,720 Speaker 4: he was ten. 112 00:06:21,839 --> 00:06:24,360 Speaker 3: Yeah, what I say. 113 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:28,320 Speaker 4: According to the record, he developed some bad habits when 114 00:06:28,320 --> 00:06:30,039 Speaker 4: he visited New York City at age fifteen. 115 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:33,000 Speaker 5: Come on, honey, let's damn. 116 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:39,840 Speaker 4: At sixteen, he started using heroin. Eventually, Chihuan's arrested and 117 00:06:39,920 --> 00:06:47,880 Speaker 4: sentenced to three to five years in prison. While serving 118 00:06:47,880 --> 00:06:50,560 Speaker 4: his sentence, he worked in the prison library and became 119 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:53,600 Speaker 4: an avid reader. He developed the belief that Puerto Rican 120 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:56,640 Speaker 4: migration to New York City and the resulting economic stress, 121 00:06:56,760 --> 00:06:59,400 Speaker 4: culture shock, and discrimination were at the root of many 122 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:02,640 Speaker 4: Puerto Ricans addictions. He also noticed that many people from 123 00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:05,360 Speaker 4: the island were returning from the Vietnam War with substance 124 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:11,160 Speaker 4: abuse problems. Jejuan foundedro Garcrea when he was released from 125 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:14,120 Speaker 4: prison in nineteen sixty eight. His aim was to create 126 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 4: a re educational program, a therapeutic community where people could 127 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:22,040 Speaker 4: live together and start over without drugs. He designed CREA 128 00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:24,280 Speaker 4: not only as a rehab center, but as a long 129 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:27,040 Speaker 4: term housing facility for people with nowhere else to go. 130 00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:31,200 Speaker 4: It will become the treatment facility for everyone from national 131 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:35,320 Speaker 4: celebrities to the average citizen, and in fact, Puerto Rican 132 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:40,560 Speaker 4: celebrities did end up in CREA, especially musicians. Grea even 133 00:07:40,600 --> 00:07:42,680 Speaker 4: had its own in house salsa orchestra, made up of 134 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:46,160 Speaker 4: musicians who went through the program, like percussionists Cheo Feliciano 135 00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:50,160 Speaker 4: and legendary vocalist Frankie Hernandez. The group even released a 136 00:07:50,240 --> 00:08:05,119 Speaker 4: salsa album on Fano Records called Impactos Crea. When Crea began, 137 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:07,800 Speaker 4: there were virtually no other drug treatment centers on the island. 138 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:11,000 Speaker 4: By nineteen seventy three, it expanded from a handful of 139 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:13,640 Speaker 4: residents living in a group home to a federation of 140 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:16,800 Speaker 4: over thirty facilities. Before long, chi Huan was looked at 141 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:20,440 Speaker 4: as a hero. He had revolutionized drug treatment in Puerto Rico. 142 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:23,680 Speaker 4: The so called therapeutic community treatment model was popular in 143 00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:27,720 Speaker 4: the United States at the time. Heroinautics, alcoholics, and potsmokers 144 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:29,680 Speaker 4: would all live together to help each other stay out 145 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:33,560 Speaker 4: of trouble, taking turns leading group therapy sessions. It was 146 00:08:33,559 --> 00:08:36,600 Speaker 4: designed to be a democratic, participant led environment where people 147 00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:39,679 Speaker 4: could learn job skills, good habits, and eventually re enter 148 00:08:39,720 --> 00:08:46,080 Speaker 4: society without their addictions. Based on his own experiences and readings, 149 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:49,600 Speaker 4: Chihuan added his own twists that made his organization unique. 150 00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:54,040 Speaker 4: He was brilliant at raising money, not only did he 151 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:57,560 Speaker 4: convince the government to give Krea enormous financial support, he 152 00:08:57,640 --> 00:09:00,760 Speaker 4: also made fundraising part of the treatment itself. That's the 153 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:06,120 Speaker 4: sales and representation therapy we mentioned earlier. Chihuan folded religion 154 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:08,800 Speaker 4: into his unique treatment model as well, because of the 155 00:09:08,880 --> 00:09:11,480 Speaker 4: role faith played in his own recovery. Jihuan sought to 156 00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:15,439 Speaker 4: bring participants closer to God, the final step in overcoming addiction. 157 00:09:16,280 --> 00:09:19,120 Speaker 4: But before being built up to God, well, addicts had 158 00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:22,120 Speaker 4: to be broken down. They had to acknowledge their problem. 159 00:09:22,679 --> 00:09:27,120 Speaker 4: Chijuan had a plan for that too. Confrontational therapy, also 160 00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:30,000 Speaker 4: known as attack therapy, it's the process of tearing down 161 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:33,880 Speaker 4: an individual's ego in order to re educate them, usually 162 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:38,280 Speaker 4: by forcing them to confront quote unquote unpleasant realities about themselves. 163 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:41,480 Speaker 4: It was a popular tactic in addiction programs on the 164 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:44,800 Speaker 4: Mainland since the fifties, especially in boot camp programs for 165 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:49,160 Speaker 4: troubled teens. According to their website, confrontational therapy is a 166 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:53,000 Speaker 4: central part of the Krea experience, and according to Robert Pereira, 167 00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:56,360 Speaker 4: the former Krea participant we spoke to earlier, some days 168 00:09:56,360 --> 00:09:57,760 Speaker 4: they'd make you do it around the. 169 00:09:57,679 --> 00:10:03,000 Speaker 2: Clock, that overnight confrontation four hours day, all night, without sleep, 170 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:04,440 Speaker 2: without nothing, without food. 171 00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:06,760 Speaker 3: That's real. It's feel messed up. 172 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:07,520 Speaker 6: That was the thing. 173 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:11,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's yeah, twenty four hours you confront people, it's 174 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:11,600 Speaker 2: all night. 175 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:14,000 Speaker 4: They sit you down in a chair and take turns 176 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:17,000 Speaker 4: insulting you till you're broken. That was the worst part 177 00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:17,520 Speaker 4: for Robert. 178 00:10:17,679 --> 00:10:20,240 Speaker 2: Everybody called you an animal dog, that you ain't no good, 179 00:10:20,280 --> 00:10:23,480 Speaker 2: that you yeah dope, being all kind of crazy. And 180 00:10:23,520 --> 00:10:26,040 Speaker 2: then somebody come f and they take you out and 181 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:28,160 Speaker 2: put another person in it. You know, you don't have 182 00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:30,559 Speaker 2: no sleep, you're tied. You know, they can say anything. 183 00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:37,959 Speaker 4: The idea is that once you've been broken down, you'll 184 00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:40,679 Speaker 4: realize that you need to change. Only then can you 185 00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:44,040 Speaker 4: be built back up, free from drugs and closer to Jesus. 186 00:10:44,679 --> 00:10:47,840 Speaker 4: And if you fall out of line, well there are consequences. 187 00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:52,720 Speaker 4: I spoke to drug users in two towns, Fajardo and Caaguas. 188 00:10:53,040 --> 00:10:55,360 Speaker 4: Almost all of them had been through KRAA and had 189 00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:58,680 Speaker 4: stories of strange and sometimes abusive things that they went through. 190 00:10:58,679 --> 00:11:02,400 Speaker 4: That guy told me that as punishment they would shave 191 00:11:02,440 --> 00:11:05,040 Speaker 4: your eyebrows or shave the shape of a cross into 192 00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:05,360 Speaker 4: your hair. 193 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:08,680 Speaker 3: They teaching like wars and the dog. You don't do 194 00:11:08,760 --> 00:11:11,719 Speaker 3: that to the dog, but they do that to us. 195 00:11:13,360 --> 00:11:17,640 Speaker 4: Another mentioned that there were repercussions for everything. 196 00:11:18,080 --> 00:11:21,720 Speaker 5: If they caught you smoking in an smoking area. 197 00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:24,280 Speaker 4: The guy translating here is named Panama. He showed me 198 00:11:24,320 --> 00:11:24,920 Speaker 4: around coguas. 199 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:25,520 Speaker 3: They would do. 200 00:11:27,679 --> 00:11:32,920 Speaker 5: Like a chain of cigarette butts black. If you caught 201 00:11:32,920 --> 00:11:37,680 Speaker 5: your masturbating your hand, your hand black and put a 202 00:11:37,720 --> 00:11:41,520 Speaker 5: belt on your on your wrist. And when there were 203 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:44,840 Speaker 5: visiting days, you would have to go table by table 204 00:11:45,559 --> 00:11:49,359 Speaker 5: to everybody came to the visit and explained to them why. 205 00:11:49,120 --> 00:11:53,480 Speaker 4: You to everybody. The guys I'm talking with tell me 206 00:11:53,520 --> 00:11:55,040 Speaker 4: about Advance, that. 207 00:11:55,559 --> 00:11:57,920 Speaker 5: They got him recruiting addicts in the street. 208 00:11:58,160 --> 00:12:00,600 Speaker 4: They drive around town looking for down out people to 209 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:02,079 Speaker 4: pick up and enroll out a center. 210 00:12:02,160 --> 00:12:03,280 Speaker 3: That's the boss right there. 211 00:12:03,920 --> 00:12:05,720 Speaker 4: In the very moment they're telling me about this, a 212 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:08,240 Speaker 4: blue and yellow passenger van with CREA's logo printed on 213 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:09,800 Speaker 4: it drives right by us. 214 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:12,800 Speaker 2: Right DEA got them. 215 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:18,360 Speaker 4: But it's everywhere, like at the traffic light by guys 216 00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:19,680 Speaker 4: selling the plastic bags. 217 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:21,280 Speaker 3: Yeah. 218 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:24,920 Speaker 4: As a reminder, this isn't some small weird rehab. It's 219 00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:29,120 Speaker 4: the biggest treatment network in Puerto Rico. Despite the sometimes 220 00:12:29,120 --> 00:12:32,720 Speaker 4: strange things that happened inside CREA's doors, the organization was 221 00:12:32,720 --> 00:12:36,199 Speaker 4: hailed as a success in Puerto Rico and beyond. They 222 00:12:36,240 --> 00:12:40,160 Speaker 4: expanded to the Dominican Republic in nineteen seventy five. By 223 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:43,199 Speaker 4: nineteen eighty one, CREA had branched out to the mainland, 224 00:12:43,559 --> 00:12:47,960 Speaker 4: opening a facility in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where, according to CREA's website, 225 00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:50,160 Speaker 4: chie Juan was even given the key to the city. 226 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:54,520 Speaker 4: By the eighties, CREA was also in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, 227 00:12:54,679 --> 00:13:00,920 Speaker 4: and Colombia, among other countries in Latin America. In the nineties, 228 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:04,160 Speaker 4: Back in Puerto Rico, Korea continued to thrive. The Puerto 229 00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:07,240 Speaker 4: Rican government was privatizing medical care throughout the island and 230 00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:10,679 Speaker 4: as a result pretty much dissolved its own drug treatment programs. 231 00:13:11,400 --> 00:13:14,480 Speaker 4: After that, there were even fewer alternatives to Korea, and 232 00:13:14,600 --> 00:13:17,920 Speaker 4: taxpayer money both in Puerto Rico and the mainland flowed 233 00:13:17,920 --> 00:13:22,559 Speaker 4: into the organization. Jahan's hometown of Truchillo, Alto even dedicated 234 00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:29,679 Speaker 4: a street in his honor. CREA was here to stay, 235 00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:32,840 Speaker 4: selling its big goods and saving souls around the hemisphere. 236 00:13:42,679 --> 00:13:47,720 Speaker 7: Coming up on Latino USA, was the main actor of 237 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:51,920 Speaker 7: violating human rights of drug users in Puerto Rico and Dominicara. 238 00:13:51,960 --> 00:14:40,560 Speaker 1: Bubble that's coming up. Stay with us, Yes, hey, we're back. 239 00:14:40,840 --> 00:14:43,360 Speaker 1: And when we left off, we were telling the story 240 00:14:43,400 --> 00:14:46,000 Speaker 1: of the meteoric rise of a drug treatment program in 241 00:14:46,040 --> 00:14:50,280 Speaker 1: Puerto Rico called and the story of its founder, Chijuan 242 00:14:51,320 --> 00:14:56,040 Speaker 1: Gria was growing and growing and expanding overseas. Money was 243 00:14:56,080 --> 00:14:59,640 Speaker 1: coming in from donations and government grants, but also from 244 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:04,920 Speaker 1: at residents who were out selling baked goods remember sales 245 00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:09,120 Speaker 1: and representation. At the same time, concern was growing among 246 00:15:09,160 --> 00:15:12,640 Speaker 1: people in the drug treatment world about just what was 247 00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:16,760 Speaker 1: happening behind Grea's doors and about the potential for abuse 248 00:15:17,120 --> 00:15:21,400 Speaker 1: in their confrontational therapy model. Joaquin Cotler picks up the 249 00:15:21,440 --> 00:15:22,040 Speaker 1: story now. 250 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:26,440 Speaker 4: By the nineteen nineties, allegations of physical and sexual abuse 251 00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:30,480 Speaker 4: in CREA centers started piling up, particularly in the mainland 252 00:15:30,560 --> 00:15:35,760 Speaker 4: US branches. In Pennsylvania, nineteen former participants filed charges, causing 253 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:39,800 Speaker 4: krea's top administrator on the mainland to resign. GREA had 254 00:15:39,840 --> 00:15:43,560 Speaker 4: long been denying that abuse was happening. In nineteen ninety four, 255 00:15:43,880 --> 00:15:48,600 Speaker 4: responding to the Pennsylvania allegations, Chejuan said, quote, the character 256 00:15:48,680 --> 00:15:52,600 Speaker 4: of an addict is that they are liars manipulators. CREA 257 00:15:52,640 --> 00:16:00,000 Speaker 4: would eventually lose their charter in the state in Puerto Rica. 258 00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:03,640 Speaker 4: Aga CREA was also starting to face scrutiny. Certain people 259 00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:05,960 Speaker 4: in the drug treatment world were questioning the value of 260 00:16:05,960 --> 00:16:06,720 Speaker 4: what CREA does. 261 00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:09,840 Speaker 8: All what they do is work, pray in the morning 262 00:16:09,920 --> 00:16:14,640 Speaker 8: and do more work. And I have groups of insulting 263 00:16:14,720 --> 00:16:15,120 Speaker 8: each other. 264 00:16:15,720 --> 00:16:19,280 Speaker 4: Doctor Salvador Santiago Negrone is a former director of AMSCA, 265 00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:23,960 Speaker 4: Puerto Rico's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association. He's 266 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:27,160 Speaker 4: a public health advocate and researches the effects of stigma 267 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:29,800 Speaker 4: and confrontational therapy on people who use drugs. 268 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:33,160 Speaker 8: There is a new data that confrontational therapy is not 269 00:16:33,280 --> 00:16:36,440 Speaker 8: good for patience because that we mean the self imagh 270 00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:40,480 Speaker 8: is not helping them at all. We have a lot 271 00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:43,120 Speaker 8: of discussion with this program because they were insisting on 272 00:16:43,280 --> 00:16:48,280 Speaker 8: using that technique, but it's not premian at all. 273 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:51,920 Speaker 4: So to summarize that, was the former head of the 274 00:16:51,960 --> 00:16:55,240 Speaker 4: government agency in Puerto Rico that deals in addiction and 275 00:16:55,360 --> 00:16:58,880 Speaker 4: he just said that based on updated science, he believes 276 00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:05,359 Speaker 4: CREA the island's largest treatment organization isn't actually treating anybody. 277 00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:12,000 Speaker 4: Despite being the biggest rehab in Puerto Rico, CREA had 278 00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:15,440 Speaker 4: never been fully evaluated by an outside entity. Its outcomes 279 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:19,399 Speaker 4: were at best a mystery. But in the year two thousand, 280 00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:23,760 Speaker 4: that was set to change. The Puerto Rican government was 281 00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:26,600 Speaker 4: going to start regulating drug treatment on the island. A 282 00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:29,240 Speaker 4: law was set to pass requiring all rehabs in Puerto 283 00:17:29,320 --> 00:17:33,000 Speaker 4: Rico to have their methods and results evaluated. The idea 284 00:17:33,119 --> 00:17:37,000 Speaker 4: was to hold treatment centers accountable and establish some transparency 285 00:17:37,040 --> 00:17:41,080 Speaker 4: about where government money was being spent. CREA didn't seem 286 00:17:41,119 --> 00:17:44,040 Speaker 4: to like that. They lobbied to have the bill changed 287 00:17:44,119 --> 00:17:48,240 Speaker 4: with the help of powerful evangelical leaders. Santiago na Grone said, 288 00:17:48,280 --> 00:17:50,680 Speaker 4: lawmakers changed their minds literally overnight. 289 00:17:50,920 --> 00:17:54,200 Speaker 8: They agree with all students the day. Around eleven o'clock 290 00:17:54,280 --> 00:17:58,160 Speaker 8: at night, the CREA and other groups met with very 291 00:17:58,200 --> 00:18:02,320 Speaker 8: powerful politicians and they introduced a law. 292 00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:05,560 Speaker 4: During a late night handshake deal, the Speaker of the 293 00:18:05,560 --> 00:18:09,200 Speaker 4: House introduced a clause that essentially undermined the very existence 294 00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:13,320 Speaker 4: of the law. This clause protects any organizations providing spiritual 295 00:18:13,440 --> 00:18:17,800 Speaker 4: or pastoral guidance from any type of government regulation, including evaluation. 296 00:18:18,680 --> 00:18:22,880 Speaker 4: The bill passed with the clause. Since CREA is a private, 297 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:27,000 Speaker 4: faith based program, they would be legally exempt from government evaluation. 298 00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:31,600 Speaker 4: This meant that CREA's questionable therapy techniques could continue unmonitored. 299 00:18:34,240 --> 00:18:36,879 Speaker 4: The legislator who introduced the clause was the speaker of 300 00:18:36,920 --> 00:18:38,760 Speaker 4: Puerto Rico's House of Representatives. 301 00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:41,840 Speaker 1: It is so miss La al Daroldo, ex Presidente de 302 00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:42,359 Speaker 1: la Camera. 303 00:18:42,440 --> 00:18:44,760 Speaker 4: In two thousand and one, he resigned from his position 304 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:47,720 Speaker 4: in Puerto Rico's lower House after being accused of extortion, 305 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:52,080 Speaker 4: money laundering, and witness tampering unrelated to CREA. He was 306 00:18:52,119 --> 00:18:55,200 Speaker 4: later convicted of corruption and sexual abuse of a minor. 307 00:18:55,880 --> 00:18:58,840 Speaker 4: But while his personal legacy is tainted, CREA is still 308 00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:04,480 Speaker 4: protected from government over site. But there is one academic 309 00:19:04,520 --> 00:19:07,680 Speaker 4: report about Ka's A treatment model. It's not an official 310 00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:11,720 Speaker 4: evaluation of treatment, but the authors found, to put it plainly. 311 00:19:12,040 --> 00:19:16,919 Speaker 7: KARA was the main actor of violating human rights of 312 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:19,360 Speaker 7: drug users in Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic. 313 00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:22,720 Speaker 4: That's the voice of Rafael Torroua, a co author of 314 00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:23,240 Speaker 4: the report. 315 00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:27,240 Speaker 7: Human rights abuses were committed under auspices. So basically, two 316 00:19:27,359 --> 00:19:30,919 Speaker 7: or three things but two, mainly one, confrontational therapy for 317 00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:37,520 Speaker 7: drug users only makes things worse. How retraumatizing an individual 318 00:19:37,920 --> 00:19:40,919 Speaker 7: that already has been traumatized, as if pushing you to 319 00:19:41,040 --> 00:19:45,240 Speaker 7: that edge and breaking you down emotionally would make you 320 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:47,800 Speaker 7: understand and you to stop using drugs. That's why we 321 00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:50,760 Speaker 7: talk about a revolving door. If you keep re traumatizing somebody, 322 00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:52,959 Speaker 7: they keep coming at you, and you keep charging, you're 323 00:19:53,000 --> 00:19:55,399 Speaker 7: making money. And then the second thing that we founded 324 00:19:55,440 --> 00:19:57,800 Speaker 7: the report that was horrible is that not only do 325 00:19:57,880 --> 00:20:01,280 Speaker 7: you retraumatize them, then you tell that for their own 326 00:20:01,320 --> 00:20:04,760 Speaker 7: treatment to get better, you have to sell my good 327 00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:09,280 Speaker 7: and work for me for free, almost the definition of slavery. 328 00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:21,320 Speaker 4: We got Krea sued Raphael and Intercomvios for libel, essentially 329 00:20:21,359 --> 00:20:23,160 Speaker 4: trying to get them to retract their report. 330 00:20:23,440 --> 00:20:27,359 Speaker 7: We were in a court case because Carea really didn't 331 00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:30,520 Speaker 7: like the report that exposed this. They said, no, we 332 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:32,520 Speaker 7: have all the right to do what we do. We're 333 00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:36,119 Speaker 7: going to launch a lawsuit against you. It's called a slapsuit. 334 00:20:36,440 --> 00:20:40,040 Speaker 4: The slapsuit went on for almost three years, but unfortunately 335 00:20:40,080 --> 00:20:42,720 Speaker 4: for CREA, in May of twenty eighteen. 336 00:20:42,680 --> 00:20:48,000 Speaker 7: They lost. They lost, like really bad is what happened 337 00:20:48,119 --> 00:20:53,680 Speaker 7: is they look like the shady organization that they seem 338 00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:54,120 Speaker 7: to be. 339 00:21:00,359 --> 00:21:01,439 Speaker 8: One moment please. 340 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:04,520 Speaker 4: In August of twenty seventeen, when I first started reporting 341 00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:11,240 Speaker 4: on KREA, I reached out to them to hear their side. Unfortunately, 342 00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:12,159 Speaker 4: connecting with them. 343 00:21:12,080 --> 00:21:14,320 Speaker 8: Wasn't easy for English Press nine. 344 00:21:14,440 --> 00:21:16,680 Speaker 4: I sent a bunch of emails and called over twenty 345 00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:18,720 Speaker 4: times trying to get a hold of their director at 346 00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:22,040 Speaker 4: Dorfigueroa or anyone else that would. 347 00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:24,639 Speaker 6: Talk to me is not available at the moment. 348 00:21:24,800 --> 00:21:28,080 Speaker 4: It was a maze of extensions, voicemail boxes and dead ends. 349 00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:31,040 Speaker 1: There is not enough message todays to make a recording 350 00:21:31,320 --> 00:21:34,840 Speaker 1: exiting the system goodbye. 351 00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:38,719 Speaker 4: Eventually, I showed up in person at their headquarters outside 352 00:21:38,760 --> 00:21:42,879 Speaker 4: San Juan in January. Even in person, I still got the. 353 00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:44,840 Speaker 3: Run around if I give you your email. 354 00:21:46,119 --> 00:21:48,040 Speaker 4: But I also got a new email address and a 355 00:21:48,080 --> 00:21:52,160 Speaker 4: cell number to have it. Eventually, after weeks of phone tag, 356 00:21:52,359 --> 00:21:54,800 Speaker 4: someone claiming to be the director of treatment emailed me 357 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:57,919 Speaker 4: back in May of twenty eighteen, declining to comment on 358 00:21:57,960 --> 00:22:07,639 Speaker 4: their history, their styles of therapy, the lawsuit, or anything else. Fentanyl, 359 00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:10,879 Speaker 4: the synthetic opioid that's responsible for The surge of overdoses 360 00:22:10,920 --> 00:22:13,480 Speaker 4: in the United States in recent years has been ubiquitous 361 00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:17,600 Speaker 4: in Puerto Rico's heroin supply since Hurricane Maria. Hard numbers 362 00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:20,480 Speaker 4: on overdoses in Puerto Rico are hard to determine, but 363 00:22:20,560 --> 00:22:23,159 Speaker 4: we do know that statistics around AIDS and hepatitis on 364 00:22:23,200 --> 00:22:27,359 Speaker 4: the island, both diseases associated with intravenous drug use, are staggering. 365 00:22:27,480 --> 00:22:30,720 Speaker 6: Puerto Rico is an injection island. Half of the people 366 00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:34,720 Speaker 6: that are infected with HIBAIDS are infected because of their 367 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:38,640 Speaker 6: history with injection drug use. It's just a monumental problem. 368 00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:42,520 Speaker 4: That's Camilla Helpia Costa. She's a researcher on intervenous drug 369 00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:43,800 Speaker 4: use among Puerto Ricans. 370 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:48,479 Speaker 6: Puerto Rico is the fourth MSA Metropolitan Statistical area in 371 00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:53,200 Speaker 6: the entire United States, the fourth in HIB eight's deaths. 372 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:56,960 Speaker 6: Ninety of our injectors in the island ninety am I 373 00:22:57,119 --> 00:23:00,399 Speaker 6: do you understand nine zero? Virtually all of them have 374 00:23:00,440 --> 00:23:01,800 Speaker 6: apatheti ce okay. 375 00:23:02,840 --> 00:23:05,520 Speaker 4: On top of this, what's known as the treatment gap 376 00:23:05,520 --> 00:23:09,240 Speaker 4: in Puerto Rico is staggering ninety two percent. That means 377 00:23:09,240 --> 00:23:11,360 Speaker 4: only eight percent of people on the island in need 378 00:23:11,359 --> 00:23:15,600 Speaker 4: of substance abuse treatment are getting it because of their size, 379 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:19,760 Speaker 4: their influence, and their political connections. OGRICREA is still Puerto 380 00:23:19,840 --> 00:23:24,040 Speaker 4: Rico's main residential treatment center, O GORCREA receives about eight 381 00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:27,359 Speaker 4: million dollars a year from government grants and programs, in 382 00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:31,040 Speaker 4: other words, eight million dollars of local and federal taxpayer money. 383 00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:34,560 Speaker 4: Tax audits also show that they own more than twenty 384 00:23:34,560 --> 00:23:39,240 Speaker 4: five million dollars in assets, land, vehicles, equipment, et cetera. 385 00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:43,440 Speaker 4: As of twenty fifteen, they operated sixty facilities in Puerto Rico, 386 00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:47,440 Speaker 4: with fifteen hundred participants at any given time. The government 387 00:23:47,520 --> 00:23:53,439 Speaker 4: currently runs just four facilities. CREA is what's known as 388 00:23:53,440 --> 00:23:57,360 Speaker 4: an abstinence only program. It's an old fashioned philosophy, often 389 00:23:57,400 --> 00:24:00,320 Speaker 4: accompanied by a religious component or the surrender to a 390 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:04,560 Speaker 4: higher power. This kind of zero tolerance does work for 391 00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:07,600 Speaker 4: some people, and many former addicts do credit CREA with 392 00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:11,480 Speaker 4: getting them off drugs, but critics like Camilla say that 393 00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:15,240 Speaker 4: just say no doesn't necessarily work for everyone. They say 394 00:24:15,240 --> 00:24:18,440 Speaker 4: abstinence only doesn't address the underlying causes of drug use 395 00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:21,960 Speaker 4: or the danger of deadly diseases from needle sharing. It 396 00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:30,199 Speaker 4: can actually make things worse Camilla runs a much smaller 397 00:24:30,280 --> 00:24:33,879 Speaker 4: organization called El Punto and La Montagna. Among other services, 398 00:24:33,880 --> 00:24:37,200 Speaker 4: they do needle exchanges, providing sterile syringes for people who 399 00:24:37,240 --> 00:24:40,240 Speaker 4: are going to use drugs anyway so they don't spread diseases. 400 00:24:40,920 --> 00:24:44,320 Speaker 4: They also provide narcan, a drug that prevents overdose deaths, 401 00:24:44,560 --> 00:24:48,080 Speaker 4: to family members and friends of drug users. Unlike Crea, 402 00:24:48,240 --> 00:24:51,560 Speaker 4: Camilla says her organization and others like it get essentially 403 00:24:51,720 --> 00:24:52,760 Speaker 4: nothing from the government. 404 00:24:53,080 --> 00:24:55,720 Speaker 6: If the government could guarantee money for us to do 405 00:24:55,800 --> 00:24:59,679 Speaker 6: this work, it would also be allowing us to rally 406 00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:02,800 Speaker 6: them out. Is to educate the communities and to actually 407 00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:07,000 Speaker 6: wake everybody up on the need for drug politizeroform carriod 408 00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:10,000 Speaker 6: to save lives. But we don't have that funding. We 409 00:25:10,040 --> 00:25:13,919 Speaker 6: don't have that support from the government, zero zero, and 410 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:14,960 Speaker 6: they know we exist. 411 00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:24,720 Speaker 4: For Robert Padeda, the lifelong drug user we heard from 412 00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:27,919 Speaker 4: at the beginning, Crab didn't help him quit heroin. He 413 00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:30,760 Speaker 4: didn't even serve out his eighteen month creat sentence. He 414 00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:34,080 Speaker 4: left early, went to prison for three years and kept using. 415 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:36,920 Speaker 4: But in the back of his mind he kept wanting 416 00:25:36,960 --> 00:25:38,200 Speaker 4: to lose the habit for good. 417 00:25:38,520 --> 00:25:40,840 Speaker 2: You know, I've kicked maybe over a hundred times. My 418 00:25:40,920 --> 00:25:44,680 Speaker 2: life easy, over a hundred times. After all the years, 419 00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:47,679 Speaker 2: I still use I used that use you. The problem 420 00:25:47,760 --> 00:25:49,240 Speaker 2: is I didn't have anything better to do. 421 00:25:49,760 --> 00:25:53,120 Speaker 4: But eventually he made the decision to quit on his own. 422 00:25:53,480 --> 00:25:54,639 Speaker 3: I have served my sense. 423 00:25:54,680 --> 00:25:59,480 Speaker 2: And now we're shooting drugs and the projects Cassetio down 424 00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:01,560 Speaker 2: the street there, and I came out of the shooting 425 00:26:01,760 --> 00:26:04,160 Speaker 2: when I got to the corner, and I just I said, man, 426 00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:06,639 Speaker 2: I'm tired of this bush, you know, And I prayed. 427 00:26:07,119 --> 00:26:10,119 Speaker 2: I said, damn God, I'm tired of this. I gotta stop. 428 00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:13,280 Speaker 4: So he took it upon himself to find some subox on, 429 00:26:13,520 --> 00:26:15,840 Speaker 4: a medication that's provided by a few doctors on the 430 00:26:15,880 --> 00:26:19,200 Speaker 4: island and available on the street. It contains an opioid, 431 00:26:19,280 --> 00:26:21,440 Speaker 4: but you can't overdose from it, and it takes away 432 00:26:21,480 --> 00:26:24,880 Speaker 4: the jonesing. It doesn't really get Robert hide, and it's 433 00:26:24,920 --> 00:26:26,320 Speaker 4: a lot safer than street drugs. 434 00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:28,040 Speaker 2: There was a friend of minees I used to work 435 00:26:28,119 --> 00:26:30,800 Speaker 2: real loosely, not a friend, but somebody I know, And 436 00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:32,639 Speaker 2: I asked him, could he buy me some suboxone? 437 00:26:33,080 --> 00:26:34,400 Speaker 3: How do you do that with a prescription? 438 00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:37,119 Speaker 2: I mean, people get him from prescription, but they sell them. 439 00:26:37,359 --> 00:26:39,080 Speaker 2: A lot of people sell them. At that time it 440 00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:42,080 Speaker 2: was ten dollars each. I think I got a couple 441 00:26:42,080 --> 00:26:45,760 Speaker 2: in my pocket. That's a little striptu Yeah, you cut it. 442 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:50,639 Speaker 4: Use the piece now. Robert himself is a mentor of sorts, 443 00:26:51,080 --> 00:26:53,760 Speaker 4: a former heroin user who spends his time helping other 444 00:26:53,800 --> 00:26:54,880 Speaker 4: people who use drugs. 445 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:57,320 Speaker 2: If you really really feel like you want to stop 446 00:26:57,400 --> 00:26:59,840 Speaker 2: using drugs, my name is Robert. 447 00:26:59,880 --> 00:27:01,959 Speaker 3: I help you all I can. I know what it is, 448 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:02,800 Speaker 3: I know what it's like. 449 00:27:03,320 --> 00:27:06,639 Speaker 4: Robert is an outreach worker. He visits the shooting galleries 450 00:27:06,720 --> 00:27:10,440 Speaker 4: every day to check on people, offering fraternity and support 451 00:27:10,920 --> 00:27:14,119 Speaker 4: and sometimes life saving advice, and he believes that the 452 00:27:14,160 --> 00:27:16,480 Speaker 4: work he's doing is more effective than Claire. 453 00:27:16,800 --> 00:27:19,399 Speaker 2: But I really want to help people to live a 454 00:27:19,520 --> 00:27:20,359 Speaker 2: stable life. 455 00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:22,400 Speaker 3: I would like for somebody. 456 00:27:21,960 --> 00:27:24,600 Speaker 2: To be able to get up every morning without being sick, 457 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:27,960 Speaker 2: without not coming out of their nose. Their stomach's all 458 00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:31,040 Speaker 2: messed up, that can't walk, can't hardly breathe because the 459 00:27:31,119 --> 00:27:32,600 Speaker 2: dope got you all messed up. 460 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:34,760 Speaker 3: And I don't think nobody should go through that. 461 00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:38,440 Speaker 2: I try to do things for people so they won't 462 00:27:38,480 --> 00:27:39,919 Speaker 2: commit the same mistakes I make. 463 00:27:42,320 --> 00:27:43,359 Speaker 3: And it's gonna happen. 464 00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:46,280 Speaker 2: You're gonna wind up in jail, You're gonna wind up dead, 465 00:27:46,359 --> 00:27:49,520 Speaker 2: or you're gonna wind up sick for using old sabringes. 466 00:27:49,680 --> 00:27:54,480 Speaker 2: People don't realize that they're looking at themselves ten twenty 467 00:27:54,600 --> 00:27:57,160 Speaker 2: thirty years from now, and all that time it's gone 468 00:27:57,200 --> 00:27:59,119 Speaker 2: and you're not gonna get it back. I lost all 469 00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:01,879 Speaker 2: that time, my kids, I lost my wife. You know 470 00:28:01,920 --> 00:28:04,600 Speaker 2: a lot of money and you shouldn't lose it. 471 00:28:13,240 --> 00:28:16,280 Speaker 1: The founder of Abera, che Juan, died in two thousand 472 00:28:16,320 --> 00:28:20,320 Speaker 1: and two, but his vision lives on. Grea's current director, 473 00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:23,840 Speaker 1: ek Door Figueroa, has claimed that the abuse of practices 474 00:28:23,880 --> 00:28:27,960 Speaker 1: there have stopped, but he has decided to stick with confrontation, 475 00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:32,600 Speaker 1: sales and representation, and the faith based re educational model. 476 00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:35,919 Speaker 1: A new law in Puerto Rico that would open the 477 00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:39,000 Speaker 1: door for drug policy reform has been under debate since 478 00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:42,880 Speaker 1: early twenty seventeen. It would establish a medical standard by 479 00:28:42,920 --> 00:28:47,040 Speaker 1: which treatment programs like GREA are evaluated, and it would 480 00:28:47,120 --> 00:28:51,320 Speaker 1: ramp up the availability of medications like suboxone. The bill 481 00:28:51,520 --> 00:29:07,800 Speaker 1: is currently stalled in Puerto Rico's legislature. This episode was 482 00:29:07,840 --> 00:29:10,920 Speaker 1: reported by Joaquin Coddler and edited by Marlon Bishop, with 483 00:29:10,960 --> 00:29:14,480 Speaker 1: additional editing by Ruxandra Guidi. It was made possible by 484 00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:38,320 Speaker 1: a fellowship from the Marguerite Casey Foundation. This episode originally 485 00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:41,440 Speaker 1: aired in December of twenty eighteen. The Latino USA team 486 00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:46,240 Speaker 1: includes Miel Massias, Luis Trees, Ulieta Martinelli, Gini Montalbo, alisaes 487 00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:49,920 Speaker 1: Carse and Alejandra Salasad, with help from Andrea Lopez, Ruzsado 488 00:29:50,040 --> 00:29:54,040 Speaker 1: and Raoul Frees. Our engineers are stefrie Lebo, Julia Caruso, 489 00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:58,040 Speaker 1: Lia Shaw, and Alisha ba Itu. Our director of programming 490 00:29:58,040 --> 00:30:02,400 Speaker 1: and Operations is Natalia Fidevo. Our digital editor is Luis Luna. 491 00:30:02,600 --> 00:30:05,960 Speaker 1: Our New York Women's Foundation Ignite fellow is Julia Rocha. 492 00:30:06,120 --> 00:30:09,520 Speaker 1: Our interns are Jimena del Serro and emil Sekiros. Our 493 00:30:09,600 --> 00:30:12,480 Speaker 1: theme music was composed by Zeena Rubinos. If you like 494 00:30:12,520 --> 00:30:15,280 Speaker 1: the music you heard on this episode, stop by latinousa 495 00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:18,360 Speaker 1: dot orgon check out our weekly Spotify playlist. I'm your 496 00:30:18,360 --> 00:30:21,320 Speaker 1: host and executive producer Mariano Josa, and join us again 497 00:30:21,360 --> 00:30:23,720 Speaker 1: on our next episode and in the meantime, look for 498 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:25,960 Speaker 1: us on all of your social media I'll see you there, 499 00:30:26,160 --> 00:30:27,640 Speaker 1: Astella Proxima Joe. 500 00:30:32,520 --> 00:30:35,560 Speaker 9: Funding for Latino USA is coverage of a culture of 501 00:30:35,600 --> 00:30:38,160 Speaker 9: health is made possible in part by a grant from 502 00:30:38,200 --> 00:30:42,720 Speaker 9: the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Latino USA is made possible 503 00:30:42,720 --> 00:30:45,400 Speaker 9: in part by the John D. And Catherine T. MacArthur 504 00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:52,280 Speaker 9: Foundation and the Oregon Community Foundation through our Latino Partnership Program, 505 00:30:52,440 --> 00:30:56,600 Speaker 9: collaborating with Latino leaders and organizations around the state. More 506 00:30:56,720 --> 00:30:59,840 Speaker 9: at www dot Oregon CF. 507 00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:09,280 Speaker 1: I'm marian Jojosa Next time on Latino USA. You may 508 00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:13,000 Speaker 1: know him as Machete, but Danny Trejo is more than 509 00:31:13,080 --> 00:31:16,640 Speaker 1: just an actor. He's an entrepreneur who runs Trejo's Tacos, 510 00:31:16,840 --> 00:31:20,840 Speaker 1: and he even has a record label. I've heard Look Mommy, 511 00:31:21,120 --> 00:31:23,840 Speaker 1: the guy from Spy Kids in about fifty different languages. 512 00:31:24,360 --> 00:31:32,280 Speaker 1: Danny Trejo, Next Time on Latino USA.