Securing a Drug-Free Future for Youth in Southeast Brazil
Jean Beltramello—a veteran police officer and father of two—is leading the way in drug education, positively impacting tens of thousands of young people in Brazil.
Jean Beltramello—a veteran police officer and father of two—is leading the way in drug education, positively impacting tens of thousands of young people in Brazil.
In 1996, 20-year-old Jean Beltramello joined the police force in the state of São Paulo. On the job, he not only confronted drug traffickers, but also witnessed what happened to those using drugs and how their lives spiraled out of control into heavy drug use and crime.
“When I joined the force, I thought I would be able to alleviate the problem by arresting the drug dealers,” Beltramello recalls. Confronted with the persistent cycle of drug-related crime, he came to realize that education—rather than punishment—offered the most effective long-term solution.
After 21 years in the regular police force, Beltramello shifted his focus in 2017 toward drug education. He trained with the Brazilian Military Police’s drug prevention program, the Educational Program for Resistance to Drugs and Violence (PROERD). The following year, he was introduced to the Foundation for a Drug-Free World.
“The educational booklets of the Drug-Free World Foundation are very important to help us make people aware so that they do not make the wrong decision to try any of these substances for the first time,” says Beltramello. Using the Truth About Drugs materials, he incorporated the booklets and videos into his programs, focusing on youth.
“I prefer to educate a child today over having to correct an adult in the future.”
“I prefer to educate a child today over having to correct an adult in the future,” he says.
Through his work with PROERD, Beltramello has helped graduate 8,000 students and reached more than 40,000 young people with the foundation’s educational resources.
Reflecting on his years of service, Beltramello says, “I can say with certainty that the work carried out over the years was always carried out with dedication, love and affection, always fighting for the valorization of families, protection of our children and guidance in the correct way for our dear young people and teenagers—always with the truth.”
FACTS
FENTANYL IN NUMBERS
Fentanyl is claiming lives every day across the world—here’s what the numbers reveal:
50
TIMES
stronger than heroin.
100
TIMES
stronger than morphine.
2
MILLIGRAMS
can be fatal.
48
THOUSAND
deaths caused by synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, in 2024.
60
PERCENT
of overdose deaths in the US involved fentanyl in 2024.
SAVE YOUNG LIVES
Support the Foundation for a Drug-Free World and help protect young lives from the destructive effects of drugs. Your contributions enable us to make our educational materials available free of charge to schools, youth organizations and other groups and individuals. Your support helps empower people with the facts they need to live healthy, drug-free lives.
