cannabisnews.com: Legal Pot Use Draws a Crowd Legal Pot Use Draws a Crowd Posted by CN Staff on April 19, 2004 at 07:31:42 PT By Chris Togneri, Bees Staff Writer Source: Modesto Bee A group of about 60 medical marijuana advocates gathered at a farmhouse in rural Winton on Sunday for a rally they dubbed "Weedfest." The goal of the event, the organizers said, was to promote support for the legalization of marijuana."It is not a dangerous drug," said Judge James Gray, a Libertarian and Newport Beach Superior Court judge who is running for the U.S. Senate. "It is made dangerous when it is made illegal. Marijuana should be treated basically like alcohol." Gray said his candidacy will focus on two issues: repealing the "excesses of the Patriot Act" and the legalization of marijuana."If the Founding Fathers were here today, they'd take up arms against what's happening to our country," he said. "We are giving away our civil liberties, and we should be ashamed of ourselves. How we can look our grandchildren in the eyes is beyond me."The event was held in the back yard of a small, white farmhouse surrounded by strawberry fields. One of the organizers, Dustin Costa, used to live in the house, and grew medical marijuana there. But in February, Costa said, police raided the house, confiscating 900 marijuana plants. He has since had to sell the property to pay his legal fees. The makeshift greenhouse where he used to grow marijuana is empty."I'm broke now," he said. "But I'm not giving up the war."While Gray said he has never smoked marijuana, many people at Weedfest said they must smoke it daily to deal with painful medical ailments.But in doing so, they said, they are constantly harassed by police.Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/crowd.htmSource: Modesto Bee, The (CA)Author: Chris Togneri, Bees Staff WriterPublished: April 19, 2004Copyright: 2004 The Modesto BeeContact: letters modbee.comWebsite: http://www.modbee.com/DC Greenhousehttp://www.dcgreenhouse.com/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #4 posted by FoM on April 19, 2004 at 21:31:51 PT News from the San Joaquin Valley April 19, 2004 Winston, Calif. (AP) - Dozens of people gathered in a whitewashed farmhouse by strawberry fields in Winton for a rather secretive rally.The secluded gathering, dubbed "Weedfest" by medical marijuana advocates, intended to promote legalization of the drug. Many of the people at Weedfest said they need to smoke to deal with conditions like cancer."It is not a dangerous drug," said Judge James Gray, a Libertarian and Newport Beach Superior Court judge who is running for the U.S. Senate. "It is made dangerous when it is made illegal. Marijuana should be treated basically like alcohol."The farm where the event was held belonged to one of the organizers, Dustin Costa. He used to grow medical marijuana in a greenhouse that now stands empty. Police raided the house in February, confiscated 900 marijuana plants, and Costa has since sold the farm to pay his legal fees."I'm broke now," he said. "But I'm not giving up the war."Several of those at the rally spoke about their need for the drug to deal with painful conditions.As a cancer and fibromyalgia patient, Jean Cowsert smokes marijuana to deal with pain and nausea.Five years ago, she and her husband were charged with felony possession after police raided their home in Galt."It was nasty, it was ugly, it was devastating," she said.Copyright: 2004 Associated Press [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by ekim on April 19, 2004 at 13:20:52 PT We had two both Leap speakers were set up by Mike Smithson and both called in we paid the cell call on one and the other the speaker paid the bill. Both were excellent and were on time with no hitches. I would highly recomend anyone wanting a speaker to call and set up some sort of meeting. http://www.leap.cc/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by jose melendez on April 19, 2004 at 08:28:59 PT no war on us Nice work, ekim. from: http://www.newscientist.com/hottopics/marijuana/;jsessionid=KCHAAGDHEAMFOnly one thing is certain about the great marijuana debate: whether you are a prohibition-mad politician, or a stoned ex-hippy who would like to dish out the drug for free, you are likely to have a lot more opinions than facts.Past commissions and reports have tried to clear the clouds of unreason but have been universally ignored. In this special section we make our own attempt to tackle the key issues, including findings from the Netherlands where possession of small amounts of marijuana has been legal for over a decade. Our report (see right hand column of this page) homes in on four key claims frequently made by the US National Institute on Drug Abuse. As its name implies, this government institute researches - and spends - hard in pursuit of the harmful effects of drugs. Its data also have a vast influence on UN policy. But as our special section reveals, simple statements are never quite as simple as they seem ...- - - I'm still waiting for Dr. DuPont final draft. I'm expecting he will want to extend the debate for a while, since the questions were based on his testimony UNDER OATH before Congress . . .Also, if you don't mind saying so, what are the rates for LEAP speakers? [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by ekim on April 19, 2004 at 07:44:24 PT Judge Gray is a speaker for Leap Book a Leap speaker for your event. Has anyone posted the artical in http://www.newscientist.com/scroll down and see cannabis leaf and click on http://www.leap.cc/ [ Post Comment ] Post Comment