On Jan. 20, Mr. Don Walters’s Psychology AP students welcomed guest speaker Tom Cargiulo, an expert in drugs and their effects.

Cargiulo, who has had more than 20 years of experience in the addiction field, spoke about the topic to Mr. Walters’s fifth and sixth period classes.

Junior Caterina Greco seemed impressed following the lecture. “There are so many permanent effects from certain drugs that I never knew about. Everything he told us was very informative and interesting to learn about, especially from someone who knows a lot about these things,” she said.

Cargiulo works for Reckitt Benckiser, a pharmaceutical company with brands ranging from Lysol to Clearasil.

This was Cargiulo’s second time speaking at Mt. Hebron, as he spoke to the Psychology classes last year.

Cargiulo and Mr. Walters met through Cargiulo’s daughter and junior Morgan Cargiulo.

“I love how he gives such practical evidence and explanations for what’s going on as far as addiction and drugs. It’s a real eye-opener,” commented Mr. Walters following the presentation.

Exposure to varieties of drugs can be especially destructive, especially for teenagers, who are in a critical time of development, Cargiulo explained.

Cargiulo discussed the different types of drugs common with teenagers and drugs common in the state of Maryland, mainly marijuana and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).

Abusers of these drugs can develop many neural problems, such as issues with neurons in the brain. If a person uses illegal substances during adolescence, a critical development period, they are likely to have issues in brain development and function.

At the end of the presentation, Cargiulo opened the floor up to any questions that the students had for him. Some of the questions inquired about the effects of LSD on the brain, the different effects of alcohol and marijuana, and the effects of drugs on a person later in life. Many students enjoyed this part of the presentation as it let them ask about what they specifically wanted to know.

Junior Laurel Wenzel enjoyed the class speaker’s candor. “My favorite part about Mr. Cargiulo was how honest he was. I really liked how he let us ask our own questions and answered them truthfully. Plus, many of the questions asked were ones I had been wondering about,” said Wenzel.

With Cargiulo’s presentation having a positive influence on everyone that attended, it is likely he will return for many years to come.