cannabisnews.com: Pot Smokers to Protest in Defiance on Common 





Pot Smokers to Protest in Defiance on Common 
Posted by FoM on September 18, 1999 at 11:46:06 PT
by Azell Murphy Cavaan 
Source: Boston Herald
Some will light up while police order others to line up as thousands of pot lovers take to Boston Common for a pro-legalization rally today. 
``There's nothing wrong with people demonstrating to show contempt for a stupid law,'' said Steven Epstein, founder of the Massachusetts Cannibis Reform Coalition, an affiliate of the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws (MASS Cann/NORML).But Boston Police - uniformed and plain-clothed - will be out in full force today doing just that.``We will be arresting for all drug violations,'' said Police Commissioner Paul Evans, cautioning pot smokers against lighting up in public.While past rallies have started with a showdown between city officials and cannibis connoisseurs, this year's 10th annual Freedom Rally has gotten off to a much less volatile start, according to Bill Downing, MASS Cann's president.``We've always had to fight in court for a permit but this year the city handed it right over,'' Downing said. ``It seems the city has no objective set of rules for governing petition issuances,'' he said.Despite protests from the city's Parks Department last year, a Suffolk County superior court judge ruled the city must issue a permit for the pro-marijuana rally on Boston Common.Yesterday, Joe Bonni, MASS Cann chairman, said the city made the right decision.``It's become expensive and it's portrayed the city in a bad light,'' said Bonni, who has attended eight Boston herb rallies.Spokesmen from the mayor's office did not return phone calls yesterday.Boston Police stressed the group's right to freedom of expression but said they would have zero tolerance for illegal behavior.``Officers and detectives assigned to the Drug Control Division will be present in significant numbers to ensure that the rally remains true to its objectives of free speech and not the demonstrations of pot smoking,'' said Field Services Superintendent James M. Claiborne.The rally, which begins at noon and will run until 6 p.m., will feature guest speakers, bands and a sign-up sheet for an initiative regulating marijuana's medical use, organizers said yesterday.The proposed law would make possession of marijuana a civil violation instead of a criminal offense. Under the law, a person found in possession of marijuana would pay a fine of between $50 and $200 but could not be imprisoned.``Thirty-two percent of all American adults have smoked marijana,'' said R. Keith Stroup, NORML executive director.NORML's Web Sitehttp://www.norml.org/MassCann's Web Sitehttp://www.masscann.org/Saturday, September 18, 1999Marijuana Rally Has a Goal This Year - 9/17/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread2924.shtml
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Comment #6 posted by Noel on November 02, 2000 at 12:06:19 PT
weed
smoke weed all day in the bay!!! 
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Comment #5 posted by M.J Pot on May 04, 2000 at 07:27:30 PT:
pot of ....water
I think that pot is fucking excellent it is a great bloody cure for a lot of illnesses including a headache and others but mainly it is fucking, shagging well brilliant because if you have a saw tummy you can go and smoke a few hundred j s and you will throw up everywhere hence making you feel better! Also if you are old and you are male you can buy this for your wife and this will make her happier than sex or chocolate.Don't forget the munchies and always remmember if anybody asks the mombles don't want you to know!
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Comment #4 posted by jane smith on March 21, 2000 at 14:43:01 PT:
marijana used to help pelple with cancer
Do know of any information on marijana for medical uses or any links with information.
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on September 20, 1999 at 14:48:27 PT:
Related Article
Teen-ager Who Pulled Gun At Rally To Undergo Evaluation By Associated Press, 9/20/99 16:41The Boston Globe http://www.boston.com/BOSTON (AP) A New Hampshire teen-ager who pulled out a gun during his arrest at an otherwise peaceful marijuana rally durimng the weekend was ordered Monday to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office. The District Attorney's office said Kevin Lavalliere, 19, of Goffstown, N.H., would undergo the evaluation before being arraigned. Lavalliere was to be arraigned on charges of attempted murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, possession of drugs and possession of a firearm with altered serial numbers, police said. Police said they had to wrestle a gun from Lavalliere's hands while he was being booked on drug possession charges at a Saturday rally on the Boston Common in support of legalizing marijuana. Lavalliere pulled a 9 mm handgun and yelled, ''I ain't going for this. I'm going to kill you and myself,'' said Detective Sgt. Dan Linskey. Lavalliere tried to pull the trigger, but the safety was on, Linskey said. Linskey and another officer pounced on the suspect and Linskey managed to jam a finger behind the trigger, preventing the gun from firing. Police said the rally, with an estimated crowd of 40,000, was mostly peaceful. Seventy-two people were arrested, mostly for drug possession. Several in the crowd smoked marijuana. 
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on September 20, 1999 at 09:08:04 PT:
Related Article
Man Charged at Hemp Rally with Pulling Gun on Police By Joanna WeissGlobe Staff, 09/20/99 http://www.boston.com/ New Hampshire man was arrested yesterday, police said, after he pulled a loaded gun on officers who were about to book him for possession of marijuana.Boston police said Kevin Lavalliere, 19, of Goffstown, N.H., was about to be charged at a mobile processing unit on Boston Common during the annual Hemp Festival when he drew the gun on Sergeant Dan Linskey, who was standing nearby.But Linskey, police said, jammed his finger in the gun's trigger, preventing Lavalliere from firing. Several officers then subdued Lavalliere and removed the gun.''He endangered many lives,'' said Boston police spokesman Peter Norton, referring to Lavalliere. ''And if it weren't for the brave actions of Sergeant Linskey and the other Boston officers, many people may have been hurt.''Officers said the gun, a 9mm handgun, was loaded and the safety device was off at the time Lavalliere pulled it.There were 72 arrests at this year's pro-marijuana rally.The incident occurred at 2 p.m. amid a crowd estimated at 40,000.Norton said Lavalliere was wanted on an outstanding warrant in New Hampshire for distribution of crack cocaine. He was being held without bail pending his arraignment today, at which he will be charged with assault with intent to murder, assault, possession of a firearm with an altered serial number, and drug possession.Linskey told Norton that he was not sure how he got his finger jammed into the trigger. ''He said his finger was quite sore afterward,'' Norton said. ''And he told me that Lavalliere could have killed us all.''JOANNA WEISSThis story ran on page B11 of the Boston Globe on 09/20/99. © Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company. 
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on September 20, 1999 at 08:34:23 PT:
Editorial: Pot Rally May Hurt Cause
Pubdate: Sat, 18 Sep 1999 Source: Boston Herald (MA) Copyright: 1999 The Boston Herald, Inc. Website: http://www.bostonherald.com/ Related: http://www.masscann.org/ Initiative petitions are expected to be circulated to decriminalize marijuana in Massachusetts. The annual pot rally on Boston Common scheduled for today should furnish excellent arguments for opponents. The attorney general's office has certified the petitions and the secretary of state has printed signature forms. If 57,100 signatures are collected, such a question could be on the ballot next year. Decriminalizing pot isn't humane, or an economy measure - a way to unclog the courts and redirect law enforcement resources to "real crimes.'' It's just plain dumb. European countries that have experimented in this area have seen a dramatic rise in drug use. And once again, the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition will inflict its annual "Freedom Rally'' on us. These gatherings are an excuse for mass lawbreaking. There's much sparking up between music and semi-coherent speeches. But attempts by the city to block the hemp fests have been blocked by a zealous judiciary.Citizens who attend the rallies get sobering insights into the effects of marijuana use. Participants include burned-out relics of the 1960s (middle-aged dudes with ponytails and tatoos) and dopey adolescents who imagine themselves to be heroic rebels. Both have a hard time keeping a train of thought on track and tend to express themselves with a lot of "uhs'' and "like ya know, man.'' If opponents want to make some very effective ads, they'll attend the rally with a video camera. The long-term effects of marijuana use, reflected in rally participants, ought to win adherents.
Editorial: Pot Rally May Hurt Cause
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