Pubdate: Wed, 20 Aug 2014
Source: Newsday (NY)
Copyright: 2014 Newsday Inc.
Contact:  http://www.newsday.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/308
Author: Priscila Korb

NASSAU POLICE DETECTIVES WARMS BOYS AT PAL CAMP THE DANGER OF DRUG ABUSE

Boys from fourth to ninth grades Wednesday took a break from playing
basketball at the Town of Oyster Bay Athletic Center in Hicksville to
listen to a Nassau County detective's presentation about the dangers
of drugs.

"This is the biggest epidemic this country faces," Det. Pamela Stark
said. "Every 15 minutes someone in the country is dying from opiates."

Every year, as part of the Nassau Police Athletic League's Drug
Awareness and Prevention Program, children of all ages learn about the
consequences of drug abuse. Wednesday's was an all-boys PAL camp.

"My goal is that every person in here will never abuse a substance,"
Stark said.

She emphasized how important it is to teach children about drugs at a
young age. "Middle school is the pivotal point; it's where you can
grab them. The earlier the better," she said.

Liam Sherwood, 11, of Hicksville, said he has been learning about the
effects of drugs since the third grade.

"I learned if you do drugs, your life is on the line," he said. "Some
kids that do drugs don't know what the impact is and if they know now
they won't do it later then."

Stark told the 75 Nassau County boys stories of real people and the
results of their drug use, such as getting arrested and death.

She used the examples of celebrities to show how drugs affected their
lives and used pictures to demonstrate how it changed their
appearances.

"I learned more here [about drugs] than in school," Brian Luzzi, 10,
of Bethpage said. "Drugs can, like, kill you or change your whole life
and make you look different."

While Stark has been giving presentations across Long Island since
about 2010, this was the first time she did it through the PAL
program, giving the boys at the basketball camp a chance to learn.  
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jo-D