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Sandy organization fights against porn addiction

Posted at 5:47 PM, Feb 26, 2013
and last updated 2013-02-26 21:13:01-05

SANDY, Utah -- A Sandy organization is holding two different community meetings aimed at encouraging residents, including youngsters, to talk about the dangers of pornography addiction.

It may seem like a taboo issue, but Healthy Sandy is ready to tackle it, and they are teaming up with a local organization, Fight The New Drug, to encourage people to fight pornography.

Nicole Martin is the spokesperson for Healthy Sandy, which is a partnership of several organizations with a mission to promote good health, safety and wellness to the city’s residents. The organization is partly funded by Sandy City.  Martin said she believes the anti-pornography campaign is good for residents of the community.

“We felt like this fit within our parameters of our mission, and that an educational campaign would be beneficial to our residents,” she said.

Martin said pornography addiction impacts people in many places, and she and her organization wanted to take a proactive stance on the issue, which is why they’ve sent postcards inviting residents to the open meetings.

“We're trying to promote—We want everybody to know that this opportunity is available, that it's free, and that it’s their choice if they want to attend, but we certainly want to make it available to all” she said.

The meetings are open to adults, as well as children as young as sixth grade. Two meetings will be held, and both will feature a non-profit organization called Fight The New Drug, which tours the nation to educate people about the harmful effects of pornography. The organization got its start in Utah.

Todd Blaquiere, director of marketing for Fight The New Drug, said his organization focuses primarily on educating young people by using science and facts rather than attempting to get legislation passed. He said pornography is addictive the way drugs are, and he believes it is a societal issue that needs to be addressed.

He said pornography is abundant, and that’s why young people need to hear their message.

“Statistically, by the age of eight most people have had an exposure to pornography, so it’s a discussion that needs to start early on,” he said.

The first of the two free meetings will be held Thursday at 7 p.m. at Jordan High School. The second will take place at Alta High School on March 13, also at 7 p.m. Both meetings are open to the public, including those who aren’t residents of Sandy.