FAQ - Ray Lozano

So you found a way to talk about alcohol and marijuana in such a way that students find it interesting and funny?

Yes

No, really you found a way?

Yes

Come on, students really enjoy it?

Yes there are quite a number of school that I go to year after year because I am always updating my information. So if your students heard me last year, I could come back and it would be 75% a new presentation.

I’ve seen drug presentations before and they weren’t very good. What makes yours different?

It is a combination of several things that makes my presentation different when it comes to alcohol and drug information. Here is the combination:
I bring my many years of being on stage at the Improv Comedy Club into it. I was trained under a professional comic, Judy Carter, and I have timing, the ability to read the audience and act outs DOWN.

I teach in such a way as to present information and not judge with it. My main concern is that kids have the information regarding the drug and not the scare tactics. When I conduct my marijuana presentation the first 15 minutes I allow kids to defend and tell me all the good stuff about it. Then I take all those things and slowly unravel them. Trust me it is magic. I have so many sponsors marvel at how I do it.

I was a principal for a short period in my life and I understand filling a presentation with content. I am not just up there telling stories or saying great quotes, I am presenting current drug studies in such a way that kids eat this stuff up.

I present information with three students in mind. The one student who has a tiny attention span. My information keeps moving and all the fat in the stories is cut out so it just is a solid comedy and information. The second student is one who is experimenting with drugs. I am not telling him way down the road stuff. I am discussing current things that will start to happen right away. The third student I keep in mind is the student who has not yet used. Students who have never used and plan never to use need current information to reinforce their commitment to abstinence.

The kids at my school are different, they love weed. How does your presentation go over with them?

Great! Those are my favorite kids because they really pay attention and they aren’t afraid to defend weed. I work better with those kids because they will ask questions. They always start off a little upset because they put up this wall to defend weed. Then once they know I’m not there to attack their beliefs, just explain weed, that is when I know I have them.

Where is the hardest place you’ve presented your drug information?

In a Juvenile Hall where kids were locked up. Those kids actually gave me a standing ovation and asked me to come back to teach them more.

Where do you get your information from?

I don’t get it off any web sites. If you type in the question, “is weed good for you” you get a million answers and all of them are different. I get my current information from reports that doctor do that do not care if weed is good for you or bad. They just want to know what happens when you smoke weed.

How I Did You Get Started Speaking

In response to my curiosity about a high school friend binge drinking one weekend, I researched and presented a report on alcohol use for my health class. This began a life-long journey of presenting drug and alcohol information. I began speaking professionally in 1987 and have since presented to tens of thousands of students nationally and internationally.

Is there someone I can call or have them call me as a reference?

There sure is but I am not going to hand out their number like free candy. Call me and I will set this up.