Warning: This conversation will involve talk of drug use, sex, and other adult topics, and may be triggering for some. Viewer discretion is advised.
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Glossary of Terms:
Tweaker: (n) twee-ker: someone who does crystal meth
PnP: (v) pee-n-pee: “partying and playing,” using drugs such as crystal meth and GHB / GBL (aka “G”) to enhance sexual experience
Tina: (n): tee-na: a commonly used nickname for crystal meth, abbreviated as ‘T’
TRUE STORY :: Jason Yamas is in his late 30’s. He’s good looking, bright, gregarious and charming. These are all qualities that served him very well in his rapid rise to going from being a user, to supplying most of the crystal meth to San Francisco’s Tina-loving gay community.
Jason studied at NYU. He is an actor, and a film producer of documentaries - and now an author. His thoughtful, observant, witty LAMBDA award winning memoir, Tweakerworld, shares how running out of an Adderall prescription one night, which he was using to stay up late to work on projects, caused him to reach for something he had previously tried just a few times, in order to help him stay up: crystal meth. Adderall and meth are chemical cousins. That choice led to an addiction to Tina, which led to Jason making the decision to deal the drug.
Jason discovered he was very, very good at it. His skills took him to kingpin status - quickly, observing the gay pnp culture along the way with keen eyes.
“.. (crystal meth) removes shame around the sex you’re having, in a society that says to this day gay is wrong, and release inhibitions and discover freedom. It’s called partying for a reason. Who doesn’t want to enjoy a party, and feel good without clothes on, and be appreciated
and wanted?”
“Community is what I have been searching for my entire adult life. I wonder if I’m projecting a utopia onto a culture that in fact represents the antithesis of unity, that maybe we’re drawn to one another over shared traumas and a need to forget how we’ve always felt misplaced. A profusion of sex can easily be mistaken for love to anyone who’s never learned the difference.” - Jason Yamas, Tweakerworld
This video is Part One of a two-part conversation, one in which Jason takes us deep into Tweakerworld: the gay pnp sex subculture; his meteoric rise as a drug dealer; working with the Mexican drug cartel - and his eventual downfall, the FBI hot on his trail… or were they?
Shaun Proulx has been covering the topic of crystal meth since 2005, writing pieces like this one. He is the host of The Shaun Proulx Show heard weekends on SirusXM Canada Talks CH 167. More here: shaunproulx.com
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