Their views are glaringly different on the debate to legalize marijuana.

Steven Hager, the creative director for “High Times” magazine, wants it made legal for several reasons.

“Prohibition drives prices so high that it ends up funding criminals with unbelievable profits that wouldn’t exist if the plant was legal, and these profits corrupt our system,” he said.

Robert Stutman, a former Drug Enforcement Administration supervisor for New York’s field division, says legalization would multiply the number of recreational users.

“I just don’t think the potential negative side effects – basically for recreational purposes – is worth the trade-off, and I don’t think the American people think it’s worth the trade-off,” Stutman said.

The pair will debate the issue at 7 p.m. Monday in the Kansas Union ballroom. The free event is sponsored by Student Union Activities.

Even though they might be an “odd couple” on the debate circuit, the two also have become friends after debating on college campuses for more than seven years. They say in their debates they try to make it educational and civil.

“He’s not a fundamentalist. He doesn’t lie or distort, and he’s a good guy,” Hager said of his opponent.

And Stutman, the former DEA agent, opposes legalizing marijuana but also opposes jailing offenders for possession. He said education to control the demand for illegal drugs was a key part of his presentation.

Hager agrees with Stutman about incarceration, and he says the government is wasting money.

On the other hand, he wants marijuana legalized because of its medicinal value and because the use of hemp could replace the need for petrochemical products.

And he says, some cultures consider the plant sacramental. “And my culture, which I guess you would call the hippie counterculture, is no different. If we are going to have real religious freedom, this must be recognized,” Hager said.

Hager also will sign some of his books and magazines for fans from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at Hastings, 1900 W. 23rd St.