Officer provides drug awareness to students

Officer Mike Mascorro recently gave a drug awareness presentation to Thermopolis high school freshmen for their health classes. This is now Mascorro’s third year in giving this education. He showed some videos about what hard drugs do and also about vaping and nicotine. At the end of his speaking and questions and answers with the students, Mascorro showed them mock fake drugs or props that are similar to what they look like in real life. This helps the students know how to recognize them if and when they may encounter them in real life.

Mascorro said, “I’ve learned that the more awareness there is in regard to drugs, the better educated the public is in making their decisions regarding if or when they are presented with drugs. Mister Deromedi reached out to me and asked me to speak. This is something I’ve been doing every year to teach the freshman about drug awareness.”

Mascorro showed the students what kind of drugs are in the immediate area, the effects of those drugs and the legal repercussions of the drugs as a teenager or juvenile, and what happens when they become an adult with those legal repercussions. This includes learning about Wyoming state law and the fines or penalties involved.

Consequences to drugs are alarming too, Mascorro showed the students how it affects their lives and future, especially in their near future as the student gets ready to graduate and go to college or work. He said, “The more I make them aware of what those repercussions are and how they can affect their future, I think the better they’ll be equipped to make better decisions.”

 Mascorro said the drug use he sees juveniles mainly use here in Thermopolis is marijuana and nicotine. He has seen more nicotine use than marijuana, however. He said, “It’s not out of control, it’s not rampant here. In that regard, it’s good. We don’t have an overabundance of those types of crimes. I attribute that to the awareness of what the Thermopolis Police Department does in these types of training.”

Not only does the police department seek to educate students, but helping parents learn too is important. Mascorro said, “Everything stems from the parents. The more they’re involved in their juvenile’s life in regard to the awareness of where they are and what they are doing, who are their friends, the better they are to help the students with these decisions. The more they are involved in their life and the more they oversee things, they know if their juvenile is steering in the wrong direction.”

Mascorro added that he offers the training to parents as well. Hot Springs County High School has provided fake props of drugs so that parents and students can identify and recognize what the drugs look like. This helps parents know what to look out for, too. Mascorro said, “They are the drugs out there. If you see any of these, these are red flags. 

Mascorro said, “My hope in providing this training to our juveniles is that if in their near future or even in their life once they move on and become adults if they can remember something that I’ve taught in regard to drug awareness and the effects of drugs and they’re better able to make a decision. Where they would say, ‘I remember Officer Mascorro said that might happen,’ in the effects of the drugs. If that will help them to make a better decision and not to use those drugs, which ultimately could save their life, then my job would have been done. Even if there is only one student out of all of those that made a better decision, my job is done.”