DMAPS program aims to teach students about the consequences of drug abuse

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A different perspective to students in the state is what West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety Drug Control Director Jack Luikart is hoping to bring with his anti-narcotics message in schools.

Luikart joined the department (DMAPS) in 2017 and has since teamed up with Deputy Corrections Commissioner William Marshall in going to middle and high schools around the state to teach factual information about the consequences of drugs and let students hear from people that have been affected.

Marshall began giving drug education and prevention presentations at schools while a trooper and he knows its all about working on preventative programs.

“Let’s get the word out to these individuals before they get to us,” Marshall said on Monday’s MetroNews ‘Talkline.’ “Before they have a career of crime and corrections, let’s coach them through these difficult times.”

Luikart is a career narcotics officer and has addressed more than 28,000 students and school-age youth while visiting more than 50 schools.

Jack Luikart

He said he has brought individuals that he has crossed paths with through his career in to speak with students.

“They try to tell them that ‘you are not immune to this, you are not bulletproof. Anyone who goes down that path, there will be consequences and sometimes they are death,'” Luikart said on Monday’s MetroNews ‘Talkline.’

Luikart and Marshall both agreed that one of their goals is to get the students to talk to one another, citing the strongest support system is peers.

“If we reach one or two individuals we have probably done a pretty good job that day,” Marshall said. “That one or two could spread. They’ll send the message to their peers more so than they will hear it from us.”

William Marshall

The program is backed by Gov. Jim Justice’s campaign to prevent opioid addiction in schools before it gets to adult life. MAPS Secretary Jeff Sandy cited figures from the U.S. Department of Justice in a release that said approximately one-fourth of all state and federal inmates are in on drug offenses.

Marshall and Luikart have messages for kids who have already gone down that path, as well, and that is you are not alone.

“They are not individuals when it comes to this problem,” Marshall said. “Everybody around you some sort of an issue to deal with, whether it be large or small. They have to understand they are not in this alone.”





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