SPEAKER ADDRESSES CASUAL DRUG USE

Robert Stutman, a 25-year veteran of the national Drug Enforcement Agency
and drug consultant for PBS and CBS, spoke to a male-dominated audience in
Sarratt Cinema Monday, addressing the issue of drug use on campus.

Stutman's primary point was that most college students taking drugs don't
really know what they're taking. He said this ignorance can be harmful and
even fatal, which is why he said he considers his work so important.

"Whose word do you have that the drug you're taking is what you think it
is? The drug dealer's, and I'll tell you he's probably a liar," Stutman
said. "Most of you get your drugs from a friend who wouldn't lie, but the
drug's already been through seven or eight hands."

Ignorance of drugs and misinformation has led to overdoses and death,
Stutman said.

"No one," he said, "can tell the difference between rat poison and cocaine.
Not even myself."

Besides the misinformation of drugs, he talked about the four most widely
used club drugs: Ecstasy, GHB (a liquid date rape drug), Roofies and
'Special K.'

Specifically, Stutman discussed the side-effects of popular drugs and
common myths people believe about drug use and quoted peer review medical
journals and statistics in order to discuss health issues.

Stutman began the talk with a reminder that he wasn't there to judge or
criticize, but only to educate.

According to Stutman, the most rapidly popular chemical drug in the United
States is methamphetamine, while the most commonly used is LSD. Many of the
drugs believed to be ecstasy, shrooms or other club drugs are actually
impotent materials laced with LSD.

His discussion ended wth marijuana, the most commonly used drug on college
campuses. According to recent studies, Stutman said, smoking marijuana has
been shown to cause lung cancer and increase the risk of throat and mouth
cancer.

It also releases pressure on the optic nerve, which is why the drug is used
for glaucoma, he said. This release causes the loss of depth perception and
contributes significantly to car accidents.

The event ended with questions from the audience. Based on the number of
questions and the responses, the students said the discussion was
interesting and stimulating.

"He (Stutman) was extremely educated," junior Matt Houston said. "His use
of personal experience enhanced the influence of his talk."

Stutman's discussion incorporated several statistics, information on
commonly-known drugs and many urban legends students might have heard about
common drugs.

The event was sponsored by the Office of Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug
Prevention; Gamma; Greeks Advocating Mature Management of Alcohol; and
Cheers, Coligents Helping to Encourage and Educate about Responsible
Socializing. Each of the groups promotes responsible alcohol use on campus
and student health.