Pubdate: Mon, 18 Sep 2006
Source: Daytona Beach News-Journal (FL)
Copyright: 2006 News-Journal Corporation
Contact:  http://www.news-journalonline.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/700
Author: Mark Harper, Education Writer
Note: Gives Priority To Local Writers

MARIJUANA DEBATE STILL SMOKING

Steven Hager Has Five Reasons Why Marijuana Should Be Legalized.

With Just One Argument, Bob Stutman Can Make The Case For Keeping It Illegal.

People who show up at a public forum Wednesday night at Stetson 
University in DeLand will have the opportunity to decide for 
themselves, as Hager, a former editor of High Times magazine, squares 
off against Stutman, a retired Drug Enforcement Agency man, in "The 
Great Debate: Heads vs. Feds."

Students who are helping to organize the debate are anticipating a 
large turnout. The Stetson Council of Student Activities has posted 
leaflets around campus depicting pot plants and DEA badges.

"It's caused a stir on campus," said Anthony Colavito, a sophomore 
who is promoting the event as a council member. "Controversy builds 
interest, and students are eager to hear this."

Marijuana -- which has been used by humans for over 4,000 years -- 
remains the most popular of illegal drugs, according to the federal 
government's 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Despite the 
rise of club drugs and pharmaceuticals among today's college 
students, more than half of the 19.7 million people who used illicit 
drugs in the month before the survey used marijuana exclusively.

Meanwhile, drug use among baby boomers in their 50s has been on the 
rise over the past four years, the survey shows.

While some cities have taken steps in recent years to de-emphasize 
police investigations of marijuana possession and use, the 
legalization issue is below the radar of most mid-term Congressional 
races. The only political candidate with national recognition who is 
running on a pro-legalization platform is Kinky Friedman, the 
entertainer and writer running for governor of Texas. But even he 
doesn't list it as one of his priorities on his campaign Web site.

Stutman, a DEA agent for 25 years, said he believes the legalization 
effort isn't gaining traction, even if legal restrictions seem to be 
easing on marijuana offenders. He said moving away from jailing 
people for possession is the right approach.

But he stands strong against legalizing the drug.

"We will have significantly more users" if marijuana is made legal, 
he said. "We will have between five and 10 times more users."

He compared the legalization of marijuana to the 21st Amendment, 
which lifted the prohibition on alcohol in 1933. "Last year, alcohol 
killed 300,000 people in the United States," he said.

But Hager touts marijuana's benefits.

In an e-mail, he listed five reasons he supports legalization:

"It's good medicine;"

"Hemp is good for the environment;"

"We need to stop expanding and privatizing prisons;"

"We need to stop funding corruption with prohibition prices;"

"It's the sacrament of my culture."

But Stutman sticks to his original point: It does damage.

"As a side effect, you have loss of depth perception. You have lung 
disease. And amotivational syndrome," he said. "Some people become 
dependent. Clearly not all, but a number of them do."

Hager and Stutman agree to disagree on legalization, but both send a 
strong anti-drug abuse message. Hager says the difference between use 
and abuse can sometimes be difficult to determine, but he has a couple of tips.

"If you ever find yourself lying, screaming or stealing to get 
marijuana, you've likely crossed over," he said. "And if you're not 
sure when it's appropriate to be intoxicated, versus when it's not, 
you might have trouble drawing the right lines."

[Sidebars]

DID YOU KNOW?

A Chinese medical compendium, dated 2737 B.C., contains the earliest 
recorded description of marijuana use.

Also grown as a source of fiber, marijuana (hemp) was a major crop in 
Colonial North America.

Listed in the United States Pharmacopeia from 1850 until 1942, 
marijuana was prescribed for conditions including labor pains, 
nausea, and rheumatism.

The active ingredient, THC, was synthesized in 1966 and approved by 
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1985. It is available by 
prescription in pill form, though proponents say it is more expensive 
and not as effective as the herb.

- - Compiled by News Researcher Janice Cahill

SOURCE: infoplease.com

BY THE NUMBERS

19.7 million - the number of illicit drug users in the United States.

54.5 percent - the percentage of those people whose use was 
exclusively marijuana.

19.6 percent - the percentage of those people who used marijuana and 
another illicit drug.

6,000 - the number of Americans who try marijuana for the first time each day.

SOURCE: 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, as reported by 
the Department of Health and Human Services

"The Great Debate: Heads vs. Feds" starts at 8 p.m. Wednesday in 
Elizabeth Hall Chapel, 421 N. Woodland Blvd. Admission is free and 
the public is invited.
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MAP posted-by: Elaine