Tuesday, September 16, 2008
You couldn’t smell any marijuana in the crowd Monday night during the “Heads Versus Feds” SUA event, but there were plenty of tie-dyed, 1960s band shirts sprinkled through the crowd of 440 people.
Steve Hager, editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, and Robert Stutman, a retired special agent for the Drug Enforcement Agency of New York City, argued until they were both red in the face about the legalization of marijuana in front of an emotionally charged crowd, but they also inspired a few laughs.
Hager took to the stage first, and he listed five reasons why cannabis should be legalized:
- It is useful for medicinal purposes.
- Hemp is good for the environment.
- Criminalizing marijuana has led to crowded prisons, with 900,000 people arrested for possession each year.
Robert Stutman, retired agent for the United States Drug Enforcement Administration listens to the argument delivered by Steve Hager, editor-in-chief of High Times magazine about the legalization of marijuana. Nearly 450 people attended "Heads Versus Feds" on Monday night in the Kansas Union Ballroom.
- Keeping marijuana on the black market provides dealers and criminals a cut of the $500 billion-a-year industry.
- It’s part of his culture.
“That’s most important to me,” Hager, an Illinois native, said of his affinity for the counterculture of the 1960s. Hager said he first smoked marijuana at 15 and was one of the first in his high school to do so.
Many in the audience were amused when Hager said George Washington was a hemp farmer and that hemp was used for books, ink, lamps and ropes.
“The first American flag was made from hemp,” Hager said.
When Stutman took the microphone, he said that Hager, his friend of seven years, passed off his own beliefs of marijuana as facts.
“Don’t fall for half-truths,” Stutman said.
Stutman fired back at Hager’s hemp statements, saying he didn’t think most Americans cared about the counterculture or about making hemp ropes.
After 25 years in the DEA, Stutman said he had arrested more than 15,000 people on drug charges.
Although Stutman disagreed with the recreational use of marijuana, he said Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, a substance found in cannabis, could be used for medicinal purposes.
Stutman said only 16 million people in the United States were regular cannabis users.
“You know why?” Stutman asked. “Because it’s not legal.”
Stutman said it should remain illegal because cannabis could lessen depth perception and impair a person’s ability to think and reason logically.
Kelley Rushing, Lawrence junior, said both Stutman and Hager did a reasonable job of presenting both sides of the argument.
“But I came because I believe in marijuana,” Rushing said. “I know you shouldn’t smoke and drive. And while Steve presented a logical and reasonable argument about a harmless drug, Bob made us think and sound like we are blind followers.”
Kristen Lervik, Mulvane freshman, said she did not smoke marijuana but was interested in the event because some of her friends did smoke.
“I don’t look down on people that smoke,” Lervik said. “I have never smoked and never will. It’s a personal choice, and it’s just how I am.”
The event was open to a question-and-answer session after points about the legalization debate were presented.
Many questions involved states’ rights to legalize marijuana, the medicinal uses of marijuana and why the government won’t allow it to be used for both medicinal and recreational purposes.
“I smoke weed. I’ll admit it,” one student said as he stepped up to the microphone.
Another student asked if the DEA confiscated marijuana and then sold it back to the public — a question which incited laughter from Hager and Stutman.
“No, we burn it,” Stutman said.
Although some assume Hager would spend most of April 20 stoned, Hager said he’s usually debating.
“I think there’s a meaningful significance to 4:20 though,” Hager said. “It’s the socially acceptable time to smoke.”
Hager said out of 140 schools, Stutman has won over the crowd with his arguments only twice.
Will Coquillette, Lenexa senior, said both speakers appealed too much to the emotion of the audience.
“I wanted more prudent evidence from both; more concrete facts,” Coquillette said.
Hager said marijuana was part of his religion, and people shouldn’t fear cannabis users.
“We are good people,” Hager said. “We’ve done good things for America, and we’re as American as apple pie and baseball. So, please, can I get a little freedom of religion in America?”
— — Edited by Lauren Keith
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Comments
Debate over marijuana tries to clear the air
Marijuana should be illegal. We cannot continue to foster a culture of the lowest common denominator. Everyone should be held to a greater standard. If you're stoned half the day and not contributing to society, you have no room to complain about your politicians, civic leaders or school administration. Get up and do something. Volunteer. Get involved with government. Be a part of the solution. Lawrence made the marijuana law more lenient so student's caught with weed don't lose their financial aid. They said too bad for those kids who are struggling with student loans who couldn’t get financial aid but who don't waste money on weed.
I know there are those out there who enjoy marijuana responsibly. There are many who don't. If you don't believe it impairs your judgment and cognitive ability, you're in denial. We should expect more from people not less.
Debate over marijuana tries to clear the air
“I wanted more prudent evidence from both; more concrete facts,” Coquillette said. Here are links to many facts.
Arresting nonviolent people for making a safer health choice in a medicinal/social drug is scandalous reefer madness. http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=4647
We are punishing people because servants of tyranny ignore science in naming their choice unwise when in fact it is a scientifically proven safer, wiser health choice, compared to legal alternatives. Taking children from the homes of parents who made a safer health choice in a medicinal or social drug is insane policy. http://www.drugwarfacts.org/causes.htm
Taking property from these same, destroyed by government families, is legalized extortion ! States seized $1.52 billion in 2007 End asset forfeiture! We owe reparations to people for all this tyranny. https://secure.downsizedc.org/etp/campaigns/99
Save the children, just say NO to prohibition!
Trigger less violence, racism, tyranny and ruined lives! http://mccoolportraits.com/2008rebelwithjustcause.htm
McCool's blog http://mccoolportraits.com/mccoolcomments.htm
Debate over marijuana tries to clear the air
Marijuana in/Magic&Religion/@ http://www.alchemylab.com/cannabis_stone2.htm 1894 study for the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission, On The Religion of Hemp. marijuana was in the Americas before humanity and religion of the american people protected by the 1st Amandmant of the US of america. Medical marijuana came next,and clothing after that! The Illegalazation of Marijuana in the USA liken to the illegalazation of Booze in the state of Alaska,certain provinces.UNConstitutional! In Alaska Prohibition the law in native communities 2008 and counting.Drink booze or possess booze criminalized figerprinted disinfranchisement from... In Puerto Rico legalization of marijuana in the mix 2008. Marijuana offenders on the island of john the bapstist are criminalized sent to the penitentury since the 1950's or so.In prison predators waited the user of marijuana,most being humble saintly not hurt a fly,kill a mosquito tho. In the 1870' a gang of puerto ricans prisoners formed and they protected the youngsters from the criminal predators prison usually have.Neta[gang name]their leader was killed. Two groups known till this day in Puerto Rico. one NE'TA the other gosanos or something or that sort.teo parties. get busted with a joint[pot] in puerto rico,5years in the pen so they say 1950.60.70.80.2000 2008 and counting. Relgion's Saint Patron for Puerto Ricans hemp smokers clue to their freedom and prosperity. Police jobs better served taking care the american property,money,and arresting evil diabolicol mind set@Criminalmindset.web/
Debate over marijuana tries to clear the air
I am a medical marijuana user who has opted for a safer alternative to deadly narcotic pharmaceuticals. I have hundreds of hours as a volunteer and am a very productive, moral and conscientious person. I believe that our bodies are our own sovereign property and that we have the right, as humans, to destroy ourselves in any way we choose. As a little confession, I am disgusted (with a capital "D") when I see an obese person walking the streets but I would defend to my death their right to eat for pleasure and not just for nutritional purposes. This, as with any other sort of addiction, is a health issue rather than a criminal justice issue. I simply do not have the right, as no one does, to dictate what another human does unless there is a victim OTHER THAN THE PERPETRATOR. There is a mistaken idea in our current government that our deeds fall into only 2 categories: Those actions the government condones and those that are outlawed. There is a wide range of activity in the middle that is simply no one else's business. When I encounter a food addict, I pity them. Then I look away. It's none of my business. If they choose to seek help, good for them! I don't believe they should be locked up until they are slimmer. It just doesn't work. Recommended Read: "Why Our Drug Laws Have Failed" by Judge John Gray
Debate over marijuana tries to clear the air
Even though I think that marijuana should be legalized, I’m sort of happy that prop 19 didn’t pass. I have a feeling that the demographic that doesn't smoke primarily "because it's illegal" is going to start experimenting with it, and we're constantly going to have a bunch of old a-holes crashing their cars because they don't know how much they can smoke/can't handle being high. I’d probably say only 10% of the people I know that smoke can drive normally while high, and those people have been smoking for god knows how long. I realize that even if marijuana was legalized that it'd still be illegal to drive high, but there’d still be a percentage of cars on the road that would be driven by these newbs who don't yet understand the technicalities of driving while being stoned out of your mind. For instance, a car ran over my mail box about 2 years ago. My security camera at my home recorded it so I got their license plate, and it turns out that the driver was high and claimed that it was their first time trying to drive on it (you can even see in the video that he’s smoking a joint while he’s driving. I even saved a picture… home security cam marijuana idiot). I’m sure over time that the demographic of “new” smokers will eventually know their limits and when they are not able to drive, but at the moment, I’m glad prop 19 failed because I wasn’t looking forward to buying a new mailbox.
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