cannabisnews.com: Protesters Evict DEA To Legalize Marijuana Use





Protesters Evict DEA To Legalize Marijuana Use
Posted by CN Staff on February 20, 2003 at 19:02:04 PT
By Victoria Cook
Source: Daily Free Press
A group of 15 supporters of the medical use of marijuana filed an eviction notice for the Drug Enforcement Administration and then held a protest outside the JFK Federal Building yesterday. The protest was held to reject the current DEA, which refuses to legalize medical marijuana and to support Proposition 215, the referendum that legalized medical marijuana in California in 1996.
The protest was one of many going on across the country this week, which activists are designating as the week of direct action for legalizing medical marijuana.The majority of protesters were students from the University of Rhode Island and part of a group called Americans for Safe Access, a one-year-old grass-roots association. Participants held banners with slogans like “Stop arresting patients now!” and “Feds choose, states lose!” while parading up and down the sidewalk of the federal building and informing passersby of their beliefs.“We’re going to keep escalating our tactics till they listen,” said Tom Angell, a URI student who participated in the protest. According to Angell these tactics could include everything from peaceful talks with politicians to forms of civil disobedience. However, yesterday’s two-hour protest remained peaceful.The decision of whether or not to allow the medical use of marijuana has sparked a large debate between states that have voted for legalizing medical marijuana and the federal government, which states marijuana is illegal under any circumstance. So far eight states — Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and California — have had voter referendums and legalized the use of marijuana in some way for medical conditions such as cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and even chronic pain. Despite these referendums the states still face opposition from the federal government on specific cases.“My mom has multiple sclerosis and when I look at her and see how marijuana could ease her symptoms, it makes me upset that it isn’t legal,” Angell said. “I really hope the DEA and the federal government feel good arresting cancer patients and putting valuable resources into that effort.” Angell, like many of yesterday’s protesters, said he would not stop until all states got the right to choose whether or not to legalize marijuana for medical use. “States should be able to decide whether or not to legalize marijuana instead of the federal government making the decision for them,” Angell said.Aside from states’ rights, other protesters spoke out against arrests of patients who have used or grown marijuana.“The federal government should not be able to arrest people who use medical marijuana especially in states where it is legal,” said Chris Pezza, a senior at Ponaganset High School in Rhode Island.Heather Kinlin, a URI sophomore and member of Americans for Safe Access, said she came out to protest because she also believes marijuana should be legal for patients.“People are suffering,” Kinlin said. “And the DEA is arresting patients instead of helping them.”Boston resident Jeanne Black-Ferguson, one of the older protesters, said that in addition to protesting, she has started a peaceful organization called “Grandmas for Ganja” to support the legalization of medical marijuana. “Grandmas for Ganja is a coalition of women united to speak out as one and repeal prohibition,” Black-Ferguson said. “Marijuana is environmentally sound,” she said. “For the government to put so much energy just to prohibit a plant is preposterous.” Source: Daily Free Press (MA)Author: Victoria CookPublished: February 20, 2003  Copyright: 2003 Back Bay Publishing, Inc.Contact: letters dfpress.comWebsite: http://www.dailyfreepress.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Americans For Safe Accesshttp://www.safeaccessnow.orgUniversity of Rhode Island SSDP http://members.cox.net/urissdp/Medical Marijuana Awareness Weekhttp://freedomtoexhale.com/aware.htmUS Should Arrest Pain, Not People Who Relieve Ithttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15506.shtmlPot Activists Want DEA Out of Oakland Buildinghttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15503.shtml
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