Experts on opposite sides of the issue on whether marijuana should be legalized came together Wednesday to hold “The Great Debate.”
Students filled the Mandela Room in the Old University Union to hear Bob Stutman, a retired agent from the Drug Enforcement Agency, and Steve Hager, editor of High Times magazine, debate the current and future status of marijuana in the United States. The format of the debate was a 15-minute, uninterrupted argument by each side followed by a five-minute rebuttal, a period for questions and a five-minute closing.
Hager outlined a five-point argument for the legalization of marijuana: marijuana is good for your health and can be used as medicine; the hemp plant, the plant from which marijuana grows, is good for the environment; too much money is being wasted by placing people who possess drugs in prison; the battle against drugs funds corruption in terms of drug cartels and corrupt law enforcement; marijuana is part of his and many other people’s cultures and religions.
“Marijuana is the peace sacrament of the world,” Hager said.
Stutman approached his side of the issue in what he called a more traditional fashion of debate. He began by explaining that Hager failed to provide concrete evidence to prove his point and that much of his argument was anecdotal. Stutman accused Hager of “presenting half-truths” and compared him to a “petulant 12-year-old [stomping] his feet.”
Stutman bolstered his arguments with figures and numbers that questioned the validity of Hager’s arguments.
“Most people want it legal because it is their intoxicant of choice and they do not want the cops hassling them,” Stutman said as he responded to applause from the audience to Hager’s argument that the only side effects of marijuana are good ones.
Overall, the two agreed on a few main points throughout the debate. One of these was that medical marijuana should be legalized. In fact, much of the debate revolved around the specifics of this argument.
In the question portion of the debate, Gavin Ryan, a freshman majoring in human development, told a story about how marijuana alleviated the pain from having shingles more effectively than the strong pain medicine he was given. He asked why it should be illegal for him to use the most effective method possible to feel better.
Both speakers agreed that marijuana had medical benefits. Hager advocated that patients should be able to grow their own medicine, while Stutman supported more research into extracting the chemicals from marijuana that have been proven to have medical benefits. Stutman said he was concerned about medical marijuana because there is no recommended dosage and there is no specific way for it to be distributed.
“Any doctor that tells you to smoke something because it is good for your health is a chump,” Stutman said.
Hager and Stutman also agreed that people should not be put in jail for the possession of marijuana.
“I do not believe anyone should be thrown in jail for doing any drug,” Stutman said.