Meet Our Mid-Valley: Josh Lair used to deal drugs. Now he supports people battling addiction

Josh Lair, 44, bent down and rolled up his pant legs to reveal a tattoo spanning across both shins that read “HOPE DEALER.”

“I used to be a dope dealer, and I brought death and destruction into everything that I did,” said Lair. Now he tries to bring hope to everything and everyone, rather than destruction, he said.

Lair, of Salem, has been living a substance-free life for 12 years.

He works as the community and law enforcement outreach manager for Ideal Option, which has two outpatient clinics in Salem that help support substance use disorder recovery through medication-assisted treatment. Ideal Option also connects patients with community services such as housing, therapy and transportation.

Lair also works with local law enforcement to coordinate consistent training through Marion County’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program. The program allows individuals with frequent low-level drug-related and quality-of-life offenses to participate in community-based treatment programs rather than the criminal justice system.

“As people are like 'This person, or this group of people, they’re never going to change…' I’m like, remember when you guys used to say that about me,” Lair said.

And Lair is the chief operating officer of Be Bold Street Ministries, an international nonprofit ministry aimed at serving people experiencing homelessness or coming from disadvantaged situations.

“I love what I get to do because I get to fight stigma and bring awareness to hope,” said Lair.

A story of hope and redemption

Lair grew up in a low-income area of Southern California surrounded by addiction and became involved with gang activity from a young age. When he was 12 years-old, he said he was held at gunpoint and forced to intravenously inject methamphetamines.

“I was crying. I was scared. I had never seen hard drugs before, let alone done them,” Lair said.

But he liked the sensation he felt when the drugs entered his system. For the next 20 years, Lair said, he struggled with substance use, was involved with gang activity, and was in and out of custody for various criminal offenses.

Lair got out of prison for the last time in 2012, knowing he wanted his life to be different. And for him, the journey to change began with faith.

“I believe that God pulled me from a very specific darkness into His light, so that I can go right back into that very darkness and be the light,” said Lair.

Lair began showing up to meetings with his parole officer, to church, to rehabilitation groups, and eventually, to school. Lair studied at Chemeketa Community College to become a drug and alcohol counselor, and now, he’s working on his second master’s degree and a doctorate Kairos University.

Paying it forward

A huge part of Lair’s life since his recovery has been centered on helping others who might feel there is no hope for getting better.

“I get to do that today and be that form of hope and encouragement when they’re at their worst,” said Lair. “Everybody needs a cheerleader in their life.”

Hank Crapser, LEAD Navigator with the Marion County Sherriff’s Office, got into this field through his friendship with Lair. Before they both recovered, Lair was Crapser’s drug dealer.

“I didn’t know how I wanted to use my past to help people, but I knew that’s what I wanted to do,” said Crapser.

He said Lair walked alongside him through his recovery and vouched for him as began trying to get involved working in recovery services through the county. They both went through the same drug and alcohol counseling program at Chemeketa.

When they were interning together with Marion County Health and Human Services, Crapser said Lair would get out early in the morning before he started his shifts and serve breakfast, donuts and coffee to people sleeping outside or at Arches.

“He was the example that I followed to give me hope that guys like us could actually do what we’re doing,” he said.

Lair said he is thankful he's able to help people by sharing his story and serving others.

“Although it caused pain and suffering for my family, for my kids, which I wish I could take back, at the same token, all of that stuff God is using in a positive way,” said Lair.

Sydney Wyatt covers healthcare inequities for the Statesman Journal. Send comments, questions, and tips to her atSWyatt@gannett.com, (503) 399-6613, or on Twitter@sydney_elise44

The Statesman Journal’s coverage of healthcare inequities is funded in part by the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, which seeks to strengthen the cultural, social, educational, and spiritual base of the Pacific Northwest through capacity-building investments in the nonprofit sector.  

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Former drug dealer helps people in Salem battle addiction