Pot Protesters Kick Back, Light Up; March Can Wait

[PFlynn]

Lincoln Park, CO - The fragrance of marijuana wafted over Lincoln Park this afternoon as about 100 pro-pot supporters openly puffed away and prepared for a march in support of their cause and favorite presidential candidate.

“This is a love in for Barack Obama,” shouted Richard Eastman over a blow horn. “Medical marijuana saves lives.”

The march was initially schedule to start at 1:15 p.m., and then pushed back to 2 p.m. About then, a band started playing for the crowd and by 2:45 p.m. the march still hadn’t started.

Eastman, 55, of Los Angeles, told the crowd he is HIV positive and has used medical marijuana since 1994, although he first used the drug in 1963 at age 10. The founder of Citizens for Safe Access travels around the country to promote his cause.

“AIDS nearly killed me, but refer never killed me. I have the heart of a 30-year-old. I have the lungs of a 30-year-old,” he said after passing a pipe to Miguel Lopez of Denver.

Lopez lit up and explained the cause. He said he supports “the responsible use” of marijuana by adults.

“It’s not about getting drunk and slobbering all over the floor,” he said. “It’s about having fun in a way that’s easier and not harmful.”

Nearby, a group of four 16-year-olds shared a pipe. A mother with her baby in a stroller watched the activities. A Denver police officer drove up, stopped and ordered several illegally parked cars moved while a huddle of a dozen users shared several joints and a pipe.

Not all marijuana supporters were happy with happening scene.

“Obviously, there’s some image issues here with the public use,” said Mason Tvert, who led a group that sponsored a Denver law saying pot use should be low police priority during the Democratic National Convention. “We support this cause but not what’s going on here today.”

Don Duncan, the California director Americans for Safe Access, said Barack Obama on one occasion said he supports stopping federal raids on medical marijuana users. Twelve states have legalized medical marijuana use, he said, but federal agents continue to arrest users and stop distribution.

“What I’m looking for is action from Barack Obama,” Duncan said. “We need to harmonize state and federal laws.”



News Hawk: PFlynn - http://www.420magazine.com/
Source: Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)
Copyright: 2008 Denver Publishing Company
Contact: letters@rockymountainnews.com
Website: Pot protesters kick back, light up; march can wait : DNC Protests & Demonstrations : The Rocky Mountain News

[wordsworm]

“What I’m looking for is action from Barack Obama,” Duncan said. “We need to harmonize state and federal laws.”

How exactly is that 'harmonization'? There are 50 states, with 39 of them still calling the herb illegal. Would 'neutralization' with the feds withdrawing their attention, thereby allowing states to govern the issue altogether what is meant? With the majority of states still attacking the herb, it would seem that the majority is still against it, and it's therefore harmonized.

Heck, I'd love to see mj legal. But I don't find this logic applicable.

I really think a better way to view this, and a better way to thrust the issue into the public is to show how people who are in prison over drugs - I mean even the hard drugs - are political prisoners. What is the difference between China jailing someone over religion vs. the US over some pot smoker? After all, since many religions consider drugs to be evil, wouldn't that therefore make the use of such drugs a right to follow whatever religion one wants, or in this case, ignore the dictates of a religion that espouses it as evil?

In any case, I believe that the best case to put it forward on is to create a database of those in jail based on non-violent crimes associated with drugs and to declare them as political prisoners. I cannot help but think that with such a presentation, it would quickly become more apparent how immoral this war has been.