UT to Host Debate on Legalization of Marijuana on Feb. 18

The University of Tampa will host a debate on the topic of the legalization of marijuana on Monday, Feb. 18, at 7:30 p.m. in Fletcher Lounge, Plant Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

Kevin Sabet, director of the Drug Policy Institute, assistant professor at the University of Florida College of Medicine and former senior advisor at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, will debate the anti-legalization position. Aaron Houston, executive director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy in Washington, D.C., and a nationally recognized expert on drug policy and marijuana law, will argue the "for" position.

Keith Cate, a co-anchor of WFLA News Channel 8, will moderate the debate. Sarah-Beth Hopton, a former political journalist at the Pentagon and a current Ph.D. student at the University of South Florida studying rhetoric and technology as a means toward social justice reform, will be the co-moderator.

The debate is sponsored by Live Well UT, a student organization whose mission is to provide a forum for wellness initiatives to increase healthy behaviors for the UT community, and CEDARS, the Coalition for Enhanced Drug and Alcohol Resources and Study. CEDARS focuses on community outreach, prevention and advocacy, as well as, science-based research and knowledge development.