'Heads' brings legalization debate to MU

The debate featured a former DEA chief and former High Times editor.

By John Gehringer

Published March 19, 2010

Tuesday night saw Jesse Auditorium packed, bustling with chatter. Many attendees were clad in beanies and hemp clothing, some adorned with leis made from plastic cannabis leaves.

Sounds of the '60s pumped over the loudspeakers, the guitar solos of John Fogerty setting the scene, as the crowd waited for the evening's entertainment to take place.

The evening's program was "Heads vs. Feds," a debate over the legalization of marijuana. The event pitted former New York DEA Chief Robert Stutman against marijuana activist and former High Times magazine Editor-in-Chief Steven Hager.

They argued over issues surrounding the legalization of cannabis for medical, industrial and recreational use. Much of the debate centered on the legitimacy of medical Marijuana.

"When I hand you a seeded marijuana flower," Hager said. "I'm handing you and all your future generations free medicine for life."

Hager said marijuana is useful for a multitude of different ailments, with the added benefit of being natural and easy to cultivate in the home.

"There's more diseases and disorders for which this is a useful medicine than any other substance under the sun," he said.

In response, Stutman said Sativex is useful for medical applications without creating a psychoactive "high." Sativex is a pure extract of certain chemicals in the marijuana plant used in Canada and being evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

Stutman said medical marijuana is largely a vehicle for the eventual legitimization and legalization of the drug for recreational purposes.

"In America, we inherently feel sorry for sick people," he said. "We'll approve medical marijuana. We will not approve another recreational drug of choice added on to the problems we already have with alcohol."

Student support at the event was clearly swayed in favor of Hager and legalization. He received tumultuous applause, and a sizable crowd gathered for autographs after the event's conclusion.

Despite that, students and attendees often lauded points made by Stutman as well.

"We don't feed people's stereotypes," Hager said. "We're not polarizing people, we're driving them towards the center."

The large crowd at the debate showed student interest in legalizing marijuana. Sophomore Jay Seifert spoke out strongly in support of marijuana legalization and its potential to alleviate binge-drinking problems on college campuses nationwide.

"Among people who binge drink there are some who would prefer cannabis,” he said. “I think it's been shown that, given the alternative, people would rather smoke than drink.”

Stutman said this is not the case at all.

"Most kids who get heavy into any intoxicant are polydrug users," he said. "They use all kinds of stuff.”

Others, such as senior Matthew Christensen, who didn't attend the rally, feel as though legalized marijuana would negatively impact society.

"Legalizing something like marijuana does rationalize it in the minds of certain people that might not ordinarily be tempted to partake," Christensen said.

Wellness Resource Center Director Kim Dude said legalized marijuana would not be in the public's best interests.

"Marijuana is a drug that impacts short term memory and it decreases your motivation level," Dude said. "I don't think we should legalize a drug that affects a student's ability to be successful."

Hager said his cannabis legalization movement is nearing victory, especially considering the progress made in the last ten years.

"Fourteen states have medical marijuana, that's huge," Hager said. "Popular opinion is now on my side, it was way against me when I started."