NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Robert Stutman, a 25-year veteran of the national
Drug Enforcement Agency, will address the Vanderbilt community on the
dangers of even casual drug use in a talk titled “What Did I Take? The
Truth Behind Ecstasy, Coke and Other Drugs” on Monday, Feb. 28, at 6:30
p.m. in Sarratt Cinema. The event is free and open to the public.
According to Stutman, ecstasy and other “club” drugs are most popular
among the same group of people who used LSD in the ‘60s: predominantly
white, financially secure 18- to 24-year olds. Ecstasy also produces
the same physiological effects as LSD, such as paranoia, psychotic
behavior, elevated heart rate and blood pressure. Long-term effects
include memory impairment, neurological damage and depression. In some
users, ecstasy has caused seizures and death.
Stutman favors combating the use of ecstasy and similar drugs with
education and prevention in addition to simple law enforcement.
It‘s not just about seizing the product, he says.
“All of the times that kids have stopped using a particular drug, it
was never because that drug wasn‘t available. Kids stopped using
certain drugs because they decided the drug was dangerous.”
Stutman is a 25-year veteran of the Drug Enforcement Agency, rising to
the head of the New York office before his retirement in 1990. He is
the drug consultant for both PBS and CBS News and has appeared on
national television programs such as “60 Minutes,” “Frontline,” “The
Today Show,” “48 Hours” and “Face the Nation.”
Stutman‘s lecture is being sponsored by the Vanderbilt Office of
Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Prevention. For more information,
contact Jeanine Atkinson at 343-4740.
Media contact: Kara Furlong, (615) 322-2706
kara.c.furlong@vanderbilt.edu