cannabisnews.com: Canadians Protest for Pot Legalization





Canadians Protest for Pot Legalization
Posted by CN Staff on May 04, 2003 at 07:37:07 PT
By The Associated Press 
Source: Associated Press
Toronto -- Thousands of people anxiously awaiting changes to Canada's marijuana laws marched Saturday in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver in support of the drug's decriminalization.Around 2,000 Toronto supporters enjoyed a bit of the green stuff at Queen's Park as part of the annual global Million Marijuana March.
"We're here to celebrate the many successes of the past year, and there have been many," said Larry Duprey, chairman of the Toronto-area Marijuana Party, who asked the crowd not to overtly provoke police."There's no reason to consume in their faces," he said. "Let's have some discretion. Let's enjoy the day."No problems were reported and police presence in the park was low-key.The celebration comes on the heels of Prime Minister Jean Chretien's announcement that possessing small quantities of marijuana would soon be decriminalized in Canada.About 200 protesters also gathered at a downtown Vancouver art gallery and then marched one block to the British Columbia Supreme Court while a handful of Vancouver police officers stood watch."I'm very optimistic that we'll see the end of pot prohibition within the next year or two," said Marijuana Party president Marc Emery, who attended the rally. "We hope that a year from now, this will be a celebration rally."Steven Bacon, one of the first Canadians to be given federal exemption to grow and possess weed for medicinal reasons, has high hopes for federal law changes."The federal government is between a rock and a hard place," he said in Toronto, adding decriminalization is a half answer."There will be no way for cops to tell the difference from medicinal and recreational users," said Bacon, who uses pot to control pain and increase his appetite. "Regulate it and no one would have a problem. Decriminalization will be a half measure we'll have to live with for a while."Note: Thousands of Protesters in Canada March for Marijuana Decriminalization.Source: Associated PressPublished: May 04, 2003Copyright: 2003 Associated Press Million Marijuana Marchhttp://www.millionmarijuanamarch.comMillion Marijuana March News 2003http://freedomtoexhale.com/million.htm CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml 
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