As part of Winter Week events, students and teachers at WHS viewed a debate on the legalization of marijuana.

Wellness teacher and leader of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) at WHS John Berry and wellness teacher Rachel Hanks argued the cons of legalization. Jason Verhoosky, introduced as an activist “working on marijuana legalization…for 40 years,” argued in favor of legalization. Senior Nick Kamkari moderated the debate.

The intention behind the debate, according to Verhoosky, was “to raise awareness and to get the students thinking about the fact that marijuana legalization is something that we’re going to be facing as a community, a society and a state and to hopefully have the opportunity to debunk some myths that are out there.”

Students were not aware that all of the debaters were personally against marijuana legalization until after the closing statements, when Verhoosky revealed he works for Wayland Cares, which, according to its website, is a “community coalition dedicated to reducing youth substance use and abuse in Wayland.”

The debate covered separate topics concerning the effects of legalization on jobs and growth, youth usage rates and perception, product safety and consistency and number of drug arrests and prisoners.

Verhoosky explained he made his pro-marijuana argument mirror the pro-marijuana activists he has seen and heard.

“Nobody should be in a cell for simply an herb, a flower, something that is so beautiful and grows naturally in the ground,” Verhoosky said during the debate. “Marijuana is a truly a gift from God.”

Additionally, Verhoosky argued that legalizing marijuana would help Americans with employment.

“Marijuana businesses will also create 15 to 30 new jobs for every dispensary opened,” he said.

On the other side of the debate, Berry and Hanks focused on the drug’s health impact and abuse by teens. They also argued that marijuana decreases sperm quality and production. According to Hanks, “Even if the woman is the one that was smoking marijuana, the THC actually is secreted through the vaginal canal, vaginal fluids, the uterus…and it actually does prevent the sperm from meeting the egg.”

“Higher and more concentrated forms of marijuana can lead to anxiety, paranoia and other physical and mental health risks,” Berry said. “Just because we legalize something does not mean it’s safe.”

Berry rebutted Verhoosky’s point on job creation by stating that “Marijuana is illegal. It’s federally against the law, so all the revenue that’s collected is in cash. No banks will take it because all banks are federally insured, so no banks take it [cash], which increases crime.”

After the debate, the moderator opened the floor for questions and answers, and Verhoosky asked the audience questions regarding legalization.

“My goal for all of you is to make healthy and happy decisions,” Verhoosky said. “I want to see all of you guys succeed.”

*Updated 2/10/16 to reflect slight changes in quotes. Some of the original quotes were taken from the written transcript. This edited version includes only quotations that were spoken during the presentation.