WESTCONN HEARS LEGAL POT DEBATE

DANBURY Robert Stutman can understand why some people might see them
as The Odd Couple. The 57-year-old retired special agent for the
federal Drug Enforcement Administration teamed up with Steve Hager,
49-year-old editor-in-chief of High Times magazine on the lecture
circuit two months ago to publicly debate the pros and cons of
legalizing marijuana.

Stutman thinks it would be a "serious mistake.''

Hager believes it would stop the drug war and end the nation's violence.

But, as students at Western Connecticut State University saw Thursday
night in a debate dubbed "The Heads Versus the Feds,'' they seem to
differ amicably.

"We do it without being disagreeable or disrespectful,'' said
Stutman, who now lives in Florida. "We completely disagree about the
issue but I think we've grown to like each other.''

On Thursday, it was the WestConn chapter of the National Organization
for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) that brought them together
by sponsoring their 12th debate since they became a team.

NORML is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit lobbying organization
formed in 1970 to end the prohibition of marijuana and stop the
arrests of smokers.

"Millions of Americans use marijuana,'' says NORML. "Few abuse it.
Arresting these otherwise law-abiding citizens serves no legitimate
purpose.''

High Times magazine, which Hager says celebrates what he calls "the
counter-culture'' and advertises itself on the Internet as the
"premier journal'' of marijuana-related news, supports NORML's work.

Hager argued Thursday that the legalization of marijuana for adults
and its regulated use would keep it out of the hands of children,
would end corruption in America and become a powerful medicine to
help many illnesses.

"It would be a grave and tragic mistake to prosecute sick people for
using it,'' he told students.

Stutman agreed with Hager that no one should go to jail for using
marijuana and conceded there "may'' be some possible medicinal use
for it, but he warned that legalization could increase accidents on
the highway and in the workplace.

"I think it also would interfere with people's rationale, especially
young people,'' he said. "It's more harmful than most people believe
and just as dangerous as tobacco.''

Stutman concedes the government's present war on drugs is "far from
perfect'' and needs many changes.

"We should spend less money on closing borders because that doesn't
work,'' he said. "Far more money should be spent on education and
treatment.''

One member of the audience, Aubri Fox, a 20-year-old sophomore, said
she went because she thought it was a good idea to have the debate.

"I'm pro-legalizing marijuana,'' she said, "so I think this is a good
way of seeing the political aspect of the issue and not just the
stoner (drugged up) aspect.''