cannabisnews.com: Pro-Cannabis Groups Gather for Annual Rally 





Pro-Cannabis Groups Gather for Annual Rally 
Posted by CN Staff on September 15, 2002 at 08:28:22 PT
By Marie Szaniszlo 
Source: Boston Herald 
Dozens of people were arrested yesterday as a crowd of more than 35,000 gathered for the annual pot rally on Boston Common. By 5 p.m., police had arrested 50 people, mostly for drug possession, processing them at a tent set up on the park's perimeter.Although cannabis was ubiquitous at the 13th annual ``Freedom Rally,'' it was confined largely to posters, T-shirts and hemp bags, as dozens of uniformed and plainclothes officers milled around.
Three years ago, a 19-year-old New Hampshire man who was about to be booked for marijuana possession pulled a fully loaded 9mm pistol out of his pocket, but an officer lunged forward in time to jam his finger in the trigger guard.Organizers called the incident ``extremely atypical,'' and spoke wistfully yesterday about more ``enlightened'' cities such as Santa Cruz, Calif., which licensed a growers' facility that eventually was raided by federal authorities.``In a free society, the use of an herb like marijuana or tobacco should be regulated, not prohibited,'' said Steven Epstein of Marblehead. ``There are people who use marijuana irresponsibly, but even they don't present anywhere near the same danger as a chronic alcoholic.''Epstein defines irresponsible users as people who can't hold a job or maintain at least a C- average in school, but believes anyone old enough to serve in the military should be allowed to smoke weed.Jon Holmes, 54, of Allston said he occasionally uses marijuana, but hopes his 14-year-old son won't, at least until he's older.``I think it's an adult thing,'' said Holmes, a bespectacled man wearing a tie-dyed ``Just Say Know'' T-shirt quoting such pro-decriminalization people as New York Post editor Pete Hamill and former President Carter. ``Once you're an old guy like me, what difference does it make if you shuffle off into the sunset with a joint?''R. Keith Stroup, the 58-year-old founder and executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws urged ``mainstream, middle-class marijuana-smokers'' to come out of the closet.``The vast majority are good, hard-working people, not criminals, yet we are needlessly destroying their lives and careers,'' said Stroup, who jokingly refers to himself as the world's oldest living marijuana user. ``The government has no business telling us what we can do in the privacy of our homes. It's none of their damn business.''Complete Title: Pro-Cannabis Groups Gather for Annual Rally on Common Source: Boston Herald (MA)Author: Marie Szaniszlo Published: Sunday, September 15, 2002Copyright: 2002 The Boston Herald, Inc.Contact: letterstoeditor bostonherald.comWebsite: http://www.bostonherald.com/news.htmlRelated Articles & Web Site:NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/MassCannhttp://www.masscann.org/Thousands Gather for Marijuana Rally http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14116.shtmlBallot To Include Pot Question http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13903.shtmlS. Shore Voters To Face Pot Questionhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13900.shtml
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