The man New York Magazine once called “the most famous narc in America” thinks marijuana should not be legalized — but the editor of High Times magazine disagrees.
The two will hash out the national issue at UF during the Accent Speakers’ Bureau event “The Great Weed Debate: Heads vs. Feds.” It will take place at 8 p.m. Sept. 24 in the University Auditorium.
The event will feature veteran Drug Enforcement Administration agent Bob Stutman and High Times editor Steve Hager.
The men have a history of debate against each other, said Accent chairman Josh Holtzman. The two debated at UF in 2002.
“We thought it would be a good idea to rekindle the debate, especially since students weren’t here to see it ten years ago,” Holtzman said.
The debate is Accent’s first event this semester. It will cost the organization $10,000, Holtzman said, and correlates with future programs surrounding implications after elections.
He said Stutman and Hager will bring “a wealth of knowledge, experience, facts and things that might not always come up when this issue is discussed.”
These factors could sway some students’ opinions.
Mechanical engineering sophomore Alexandro Gonzalez, 19, said he used to disagree with smokers, but is now more accepting.
“Everyone has their own choice,” Gonzalez said. “Some students say it’s a stress reliever. Some do it to escape problems.”
The NORML Gators, an organization that works to reform marijuana laws, supports safe marijuana use.
The president of the organization, Guy Andrew Ginton, said he plans to attend the debate.
“No person in their right mind will defend the drug war as being successful,” Ginton said. “It is impossible, since it would require defending hundreds of thousands of innocent deaths.”
Biology junior Michelle Catania, 20, said she thinks it’s a good idea that Accent is providing representation for both sides of the issue.
“Hopefully it’ll be more civil than current presidential commercials, which bash each other,” she said.
