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.