People, at their core, are fragile creatures. From the simple flu and sprained ankles, it is only natural for people to seek out a remedy to whatever pain they may be feeling. So it should come as to no surprise to learn that 259 million prescriptions are written for opioid pain medication every year. However, the fact that 52 thousand people die from drug overdoses every year seems to be pushed under the rug in an attempt to avoid such a painful truth. With drug overdoses becoming a nationally recognized epidemic, Newtown Parent Connection decided to host two of the country’s leading experts in addiction prevention for school assemblies and forums on the 27 and 28 of March.
Former Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent Robert Stutman along with Judge Jodi Debbrecht Switalski made appearances at the Newtown Middle School and the Newtown High School. There, they addressed both students and parents, talking about the effects of prominent drugs like opioids and marijuana, the signs and consequences of addiction, and the strategies one can turn to when they or a loved one suffers from substance abuse.
During his 25 years of experience, now Stutman served as not only one of America’s highest profile DEA agents, but also as the head of the DEA’s New York office; one of the largest branches of the agency. No longer an agent, Stutman now speaks to thousands of people about prescription drug abuse every year. He also acted as a consultant to CBS news concerning substance abuse and the Netflix original Narcos.
“I guess I got driven to it two to three times. I did 25 years with DEA. I retired and than I could've not come back, but it’s always been the passion for helping kids for me,” Stutman said.
Meanwhile, Judge Switalski is a former metro Detroit litigator who holds a perfect trial record. She was appointed by the Michigan governor in 2010 and immediately begin to fight against the opioid epidemic in the state. Much like Stutman, she is a nationally recognized speaker and speaks to thousands of people about prescription drug abuse. Along with those accomplishments, she founded the renowned North Oakland County Veterans Treatment Court and has made numerous contributions to Michigan’s State Drug Treatment Court Advisory Committee in the Legislative Council.
“All my professional career has really surrounded violence, substance abuse, mental health, things of that nature. As a sitting judge, I had the opportunity to work on three different types of treatment courts and as much as the robe gave us the authority to do and to help and to treat, I still felt compelled to do more. So, I stepped off the bench and I wanted to work with kids,” Judge Switalski said.
With a quarter century of experience under both of their belts, Stutman and Switalski often find that they surprise both students and parents during their school assemblies and forums, as a lot of the information that is passed through the grapevine is often incorrect.
“They don’t know what they don’t know. That’s the bottom line. They have no clue what they’re doing or what they’re taking. They think they do, I know there are people in this auditorium who thought they knew all the answers, but they had no clue. That’s why we’re at such a huge death rate in this country,” Stutman said.
Ultimately, the goal of their forums and the rest of their work is to protect families and communities from an epidemic that claims the lives of tens of thousands of people each and every year. By providing students and parents with the knowledge regarding the many dangers of drugs, communities become better equipped to confront and detect leading causes to addiction such as wisdom teeth removal and sport injuries.
“They think they know a lot about it, and kids do know a lot. And some of it gets really close to being the truth, but I would encourage them to take the extra step, really vet the information that they’re getting and make good choices on the complete picture and never be afraid to reach out for help. Never be afraid,” Judge Switalski said.
Image Courtesy of Patch