HIGH TIMES AND DEA SQUARE OFF IN DEBATE

A diverse crowd of about 200 apparent stoners, skaters and curious
straight-edge students listened to a heated debate last night between
a retired Drug Enforcement Agency agent and the current editor in
chief of High Times Magazine over the legality of marijuana.

In the Stamp Student Union's Colony Ballroom, retired DEA Agent Bob
Stutman and long-time marijuana advocate Steve Hagar argued for two
hours, but during this stop on their college campus tour, they agreed
to disagree.

Presented by Student Entertainment Events, the marijuana debate was
booked two months prior to when the Student Government Association
passed a non-binding resolution to reduce first-time resident
marijuana offenses last month, which would allow on-campus drug
violators to still live on campus after being caught.

SEE spokeswoman Michelle Rattner said the debate provided students
two different perspectives regarding the recent marijuana debates on
the campus, allowing them to make the final decision. Yet for many,
their opinions remained the same.

"I still feel the same way as I did before I got here - I still like
pot," said Erik Bostick, a freshman history major.

The debate opened with a short movie presenting the opposing
backgrounds of the debaters.

Stutman joined the Central Intelligence Agency after college before
he began his 25-year tenure with the DEA. During his service he
patrolled New York City and confronted notorious criminals like mob
leader John Gotti to reduce the trafficking of illegal drugs.

In high school, Hagar formed an underground newspaper, The Tin
Whistle, which became banned in four high schools. He proudly claims
to be one of the first in his high school to have tried LSD and to
have smoked pot. He is also one of the founders of The Cannabis Cup,
a harvest festival in Amsterdam where cannabis standards are established.

Hagar stated five main reasons for the legalization of marijuana:
Providing medicinal benefits, replacing environmentally damaging
petrochemical products with hemp, easing the overloaded prison
system, eliminating underground criminal cartels and protecting the
religious freedom for those who rely on smoking marijuana for their culture.

"Did they tell you that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were
hemp-seed farmers? Because they didn't tell Congress that when they
told them to make marijuana illegal," Hagar said.

Stutman countered that Hagar was using "anecdotal stories as fact."
He said marijuana should remain illegal because legalizing the drug
would encourage more users. He then detailed the four main
consequences of marijuana use: It lessens users' sense of depth,
leads to dependence, reduces the ability to think logically and may
eventually cause lung cancer.

"Just because God made something doesn't mean it's good for human
beings," Stutman said.

Before the debate started, student groups NORML Terps and Students
for Sensible Drug Policy joined forces and showed their support by
sharing a table in the back of the Colony Ballroom. Members
distributed hemp necklaces and sold magnets, pro-marijuana literature
and T-shirts with sayings such as "I Love Mary Jane."

"Talk to us about drugs guys, c'mon, don't be shy," said secretary of
NORML Terps Jeremy Taubman, ushering students to the table. "You
can't just call us stoners anymore. We're turning into activists."

Some students left with a better understanding of the debate over
legalizing marijuana, but for many, they just wanted to be entertained.

"I just came to see the biggest narc in the nation and the biggest
pothead in the nation," said Carolyn Jenkins, a freshman letters and
sciences major.