Drug summit includes several expert speakers
The Southmoreland Area High School drug summit has attracted a number of expert speakers about the effects of the illicit substances. Lauren Marasko has worked as an outpatient drug councilor with Southwestern Pennsylvania Human Services (SPHS) for two and a half years. She has a master’s degree in school counseling from Duquesne University and plans to talk about what programs are offered to treat drug addicts, especially adolescents.
Marasko advises parents to keep communication lines open with their kids in order to prevent drug abuse.
Eugene Beard is the assistant deputy chief on the Bureau of Narcotics Investigation and Drug Control. Beard works with the state Attorney General’s office, which has statewide jurisdiction.
Beard plans to talk about the drugs that are most popular now, the drugs that are on the rise in user terms, and some of the sexual abuse that has come out of drug abuse.
Anthony Marcocci is a Westmoreland County detective who has worked with the FBI and the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office. Marcocci has been assigned to the Westmoreland County Vice and Narcotics Unit for the past 19 years.
Marcocci has worked undercover in assisting local police departments in narcotics investigations and is qualified as an expert in narcotics in both state and federal courts. Marcocci plans to cover marijuana, cocaine and heroin in his speech, and will be able to answer almost any questions about drugs.
Dennis McDonough is a representative of Saint Vincent College Prevention Projects and is a secondary prevention specialist. He has been working with Saint Vincent since 1998 and has worked on various projects such as “Smokeless Saturday,” N.O.T (Not On Tobacco) and programs like “Project Alert” for area schools.
He will be talking about new drug trends in teens and what schools are doing to prevent drug usage.