cannabisnews.com: Grass-Roots Demonstration Grass-Roots Demonstration Posted by FoM on May 06, 2001 at 12:59:21 PT By Catherine Solyon, The Gazette Source: Montreal Gazette There was something sweet in the air yesterday and it wasn't just spring. As the Million Man Marijuana March meandered through town at high noon, glassy-eyed Montrealers cheered for legalization and set aside the fleur-de-lis in favour of a pointy green leaf. Without a doubt, it was the happiest demonstration in recent history. "It's a simple message. I love cannabis," said Ted Jackson, smiling broadly as he sported a giant velvet leaf on his head. "And if we legalize it, we can help people who are suffering from all kinds of illnesses and save a lot of money in law enforcement." The "law" was all but invisible yesterday, with just a handful of police clearing the way along Mount Royal Ave. and Saint Denis St. toward downtown. The only victims of violence were the balloons that occasionally got too close to one of the many joints being passed through the crowd. The lack of a police presence is a sign that things are evolving, said Marc-Boris St-Maurice, the head of the federal Marijuana Party, which organized the third annual event. "People don't feel like they are sitting ducks any more, just waiting to be arrested, like when we used to have smoke-ins in the park 10 years ago. The police have evolved. "Now they are more concerned with fixing the route and controlling traffic than with civil disobedience and marijuana use. "That's a big step forward." But the issue of marijuana's murky legal status has not been resolved, St-Maurice said. With one million smokers in Canada and only 4,000 arrests for possession every year, the odds are that most people will never be arrested, he said. But leaving it up to police discretion is far from ideal, he contended, because officers can ignore the law when it's convenient and apply it when it's not. St-Maurice should know. He and another party member are currently in court facing charges of possession and trafficking dating back to a police raid on the Compassion Club in February last year. The two find themselves in legal limbo, awaiting the testimony of Health Canada researchers in a Montreal court on May 14. While the medicinal value of marijuana has been recognized by doctors - and judges - across the country, and patients with certain illnesses have received exemptions from the law prohibiting its use, the growing and distribution of the plant by groups like the Compassion Club remain illegal. St-Maurice had good and bad things to say about Health Minister Allan Rock's proposal on April 13 to rectify the situation: "It's a valiant attempt, but it's so far off the mark. We think a doctor's recommendation should be the only criterion, but the federal government's regulation includes 27 pages of bureaucratic loops to jump through. That's not fair for patients. We already have a solution and it's called the Compassion Club, but the government makes no mention of it." Carrying signs that read "Intelligence is cultivated" and "Educate, don't incarcerate," marchers said they wanted legalization, pure and simple, not a government bureaucracy to control who grows what where. A few interesting ideas on how the government could turn a profit from legalization drifted out of the haze. "They should sell it in depanneurs, just like they sell beer," said Francois Marceau, following a boom box blaring hip-hop and reggae music down the street. "If you consider that 72 per cent of Quebecers have smoked marijuana, the government could make a lot of money just from taxes." Another merry marcher said the government should set up SPQ outlets - Societe du Pot du Quebec - and sell marijuana to people 18 and over. "Instead, it's the Hells Angels making multimillion-dollar profits," he said, "just like the Mafia made its fortune during Prohibition in the 1920s." The march ended around 3 p.m., giving way to the "Cannabis Cup" - a series of concerts in the park at the corner of de Maisonneuve Blvd. and St. Urbain St. Local band Loco Locass summed up the atmosphere. "Last time we saw this much smoke was in Quebec City, and that wasn't so much fun," the lead singer said, passing around a joint of his own. In New York, several thousand people marched through lower Manhattan yesterday to protest against laws criminalizing marijuana use. The parade route was lined with police officers. No arrests were reported. AP contributed to this ReportSource: Montreal Gazette (CN QU)Author: Catherine Solyon, The GazettePublished: Sunday, May 6, 2001Copyright: 2001 The Gazette, a division of Southam Inc.Contact: letters thegazette.southam.caWebsite: http://www.montrealgazette.com/The Compassion Clubhttp://www.thecompassionclub.org/Marijuana Party of Canada http://www.marijuanaparty.com/Canadians Join 'Million Marijuana March' http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9606.shtml END SNIP --> Snipped Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #4 posted by sm247 on May 07, 2001 at 05:22:47 PT I hear ya.. I was the ONLY one of about 7 pot smoking aqcuaintances to attend the march. The others are afraid of surveillance, or just too busy, or make enough money so that $400/ounce doesn't seem so expensive, or a million other reasons....I know the feelin man I was the ONLY one of about 120 pot smoking aqcuaintances to attend the march in Indy (of course i drove over a 150 miles round trip to go).Maybe the gas prices really put a clinch to it [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Dan Hillman on May 06, 2001 at 21:21:30 PT SF march fabulous, peaceful. One of those rare warm, no HOT, days in San Francisco for the MMM. Everyone, including the cops, were mellow and getting mellower. You didn't need to bring any pot, the air was thick enough with pot smoke to suffice. The parade started promptly at 4:20 after a few inspirational words from uber-grower Ed Rosenthal. Police were very helpful along the parade route, stopping the very busy SF traffic for the entire 5000-person parade to pass. Notably absent this year was the table of fundamentalists with signs saying "pot smokers will burn in hell" and such niceties. I didn't miss them a bit.I was the ONLY one of about 7 pot smoking aqcuaintances to attend the march. The others are afraid of surveillance, or just too busy, or make enough money so that $400/ounce doesn't seem so expensive, or a million other reasons.... [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by jorma nash on May 06, 2001 at 21:03:29 PT ...the happiest demonstration in recent history "Without a doubt, it was the happiest demonstration in recent history."well that can't right, these people, after all, were marihuana fiends, that assassin of youth.just imagine what kind of message we would send our child-runif we didn't crack down on this unauthorized happiness? [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Dan B on May 06, 2001 at 15:28:06 PT: What a Contrast While this peaceful protest took place in Montreal, New York City police were spraying peaceful protesters with pepper spray, arresting 30 and deliberately injuring at least one by dragging his head against the pavement.One more reason why America's claim to the title "Land of the Free" should be given to somebody else. Canada, while not perfect, is better by far.Dan B [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: