Pubdate: Mon, 20 Mar 2006
Source: Current, The (MO Edu)
Copyright: 2006 The Current
Contact:  http://www.thecurrentonline.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1635
Author: Melissa McCrary
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

THE GREAT DEBATE: DEA AGENT, HIGH TIMES EDITOR DEBATE MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION

Not surprisingly, a former DEA agent and the editor of High Times 
magazine had widely differing views on the question of marijuana legalization.

At "The Great Debate" on Thursday night in the Millennium Student 
Center, Robert Stutman, a retired special agent for the Drug 
Enforcement Agency, had a heated debate with Steve Hager, editor in 
chief of High Times magazine.

Stutman, who has been called "the most famous narc in America," by 
New York Magazine and has made numerous television appearances 
including on "Today," "60 Minutes" and "48 Hours," became a special 
agent in charge for the New York City office in 1985. He worked for 
25 years with the DEA, making more than 15,000 arrests on drug charges.

After retiring from the DEA, Stutman went on to found a consulting 
firm that works with substance abuse prevention programs. He has also 
made numerous presentations in 73 countries and has written a 
best-selling autobiography titled "Dead on Delivery."

His opponent, Hager, grew up in Champagne, Ill., where in high 
school, he said he never really knew what drugs were. He moved to San 
Francisco and created the "Tin Whistle," an underground magazine that 
was distributed and banned from four high schools.

Hager worked as a reporter for the New York Daily News, where he 
became interested and began investigating works of graffiti art. 
After working as a reporter, he became the editor in chief of High 
Times magazine, the founder of the Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam and a 
member of the Rainbow Family of Living Light.

Each speaker was given the opportunity to present their arguments for 
15 minutes.

Hager went first, and gave five main arguments for the legalization 
of marijuana.

Hager said marijuana plants are good for the environment, have 
medicinal value and are tied closely to his own counterculture 
spiritual movement. He also argued that keeping drugs illegal 
promotes corruption in law enforcement and government and that 
imprisoning drug users promotes the cycle of criminal behavior.

He said that marijuana is the most useful treatment than any 
substance under the sun and that he has known people who are alive 
and can now see because of the drug.

Hagar went on to discuss how healthcare systems are reaping in 
billions of dollars out of the system and how the costs of healthcare 
has been skyrocketing and their quality has been declining.

"I believe this system is broken," he said. "The life expectancy is 
going down, not up. They don't care if you become addicted or if you 
choose to get high; they have drugs to give you as long as you pay for them."

Prozac, Zoloft and Adderall, were just a few of the examples of other 
highly addictive drugs that he said can cause problems.

"After 15 years, they are giving you medicines to counteract and to 
correct problems from original medicines," he said. "They are force 
feeding the generation these drugs. When I hand you a marijuana seed, 
I'm handing you free medicine for the rest of your life."

His next point of view brought up the fact how there have been 
numerous things made out of hemp.

"Every soldier at Valley Ford wore uniforms made out of marijuana. 
The first American flag was made out of marijuana. Over 20,000 
different things were being made when they decided to legalize it."

He said that cellophane, paper, plastics, dynamite were made out of 
it and now they are being made out of petrochemicals, which has been 
the major cause of pollution and cancer.

"We are living in a petrochemical soaked society and we need to get 
to a new natural society."

People being charged and locked up in prisons is a major concern to 
him because he feels that when a judge gives someone a mandatory 
minimum sentence in jail, they do not come out rehabilitated. In his 
opinion, locking people up creates bigger problems down the line.

"We don't have mandatory minimum sentences for people who commit rape 
or murder, but we have them for people who cultivate marijuana."

He said that the personal reason why he thinks it should be made 
legal has to do with his culture.

"I went to the first Woodstock concert. We shared everything. I never 
saw a fight or an argument. Every year we have a National Rainbow 
Gathering, where we pray for world peace. We don't do marijuana in 
front of our kids," he said. "We are profiled up and down in America 
and are hated because of our culture."

Stutman began his argument by saying, "The most important thing I 
will say tonight is that we disagree about this subject, but you will 
never see us attack each other. We are very close and personal 
friends. He believes in this issue, but he forgot to mention a few things."

Immediately attacking Hagan's view, Stutman said how Hagan said that 
drug companies will never back America because it is not a synthetic, 
but how he forgot to mention that a brand new synthetic device was 
approved eight months ago.

"It isn't because of hemp or cultural reasons, most people want it 
legalized so that they can get high. His magazine is called High 
Times, not religious times or cultural times." Stutman said. "He 
intellectualized the debate. He told you that its a great medicine, 
but of the 435 chemicals in marijuana, one of them-maybe two might be 
good medicines."

According to him, any doctor who tells people to smoke something to 
make them healthy, is a fool. He said that he does not think people 
should have the right to vote for medicines when they are not 
doctors. He said that if marijuana is legalized, it will have far more users.

The risks of using the drug included how there are 10 times more 
users of alcohol than marijuana, it affects the sense of depth 
perception, causes dependence and interferes with one's ability to 
learn and think.

Losing his sister, who died of breast cancer at the age of 42, is 
Stutman's personal reason why he wants marijuana to stay illegal. He 
said that right b efore she died, she asked him, "Why me?" He said 
that three peer review medical studies and scientific journals have 
all said that marijuana probably contributes to lung cancer.

"If this research is right, some of you, 20 to 25 years from now will 
die of lung cancer. Seventy-one percent of Americans believe that it 
should not be made legal. I absolutely support Steve for wanting to 
do it, but he has tried 19 times and has lost," he said. "The day 
that the majority of the people, the courts and scientists decide to 
make it legal, I will support it."

Before opening the discussion up for audience questions and comments, 
Stutman warned the group, "I look forward to your challenges."

One of the comments disputed had to do with healthcare and tax revenues.

Stutman said, "They won't have health care, but give them marijuana 
and they will be too damn happy to care about it."

"You are talking about marijuana health issues, but what about the 
health concerns of alcohol and nicotine," said Justin Williams, 
senior, pre-med and engineering.

Over 10 students stood in line to ask a question at the podium, 
including Dan Dilber, junior, secondary education.

Dilber directed his remark towards Stutman and said that imiting 
choices is tyranny.

"If there was no black market with cocaine, your buddy would be 
alive, so why are you denying this free market," Dilber said.

The question and answer became intense when Stutman interrupted 
Dilber and Dilber said that it was his turn to speak.

"This is a democracy not an anarchy," Stutman said. "We have a system 
in the country to change rules. When you are on the Supreme Court, 
you can make that decision."

Towards the end of the debate, Hagar tried making a proposition with 
Stutman, that made the audience laugh hysterically, including Stutman himself.

"Bob has your best interests at heart, but I would like to formally 
invite him on an all expense paid vacation, to go to Amsterdam and 
attend the Cannabis Cup. I am looking forward to getting high with 
Bob," Hagar said. "And we are not going to smoke it, we are going to 
vaporize it and listen to Bob Marley."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom