It wasn't the mellow gathering one might expect.
After a parade through downtown Lincoln on Monday, women in tie-dye dresses and men with cardboard posters cheered at passing cars in front of the Capitol.
Their message: Across-the-board legalization of marijuana.
To many, it would seem a pointless goal -- but between honking horns (and a few middle fingers) from passersby, Omahan Brian Gray and others still argued.
"If I didn't think there was a point, I wouldn't be out here," Gray said.
He argued about the University of Nebraska becoming a leader in hemp research.
He argued sick people could use marijuana to feel better.
He argued pot doesn't actually cause the side effects that many fear.
And he argued that Nebraska needs the cash.
"Here's our answer."
Gray -- sporting a "Nebraska H.E.M.P." T-shirt with pot leaves instead of periods -- knew many people would write him off.
Those people have bought into the fear, stigma and apathy that surrounds any meaningful conversation about marijuana.
"I think, anymore, it's just the populace being ignorant," he said.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: JournalStar.com
Author: ZACH PLUHACEK
Contact: JournalStar.com
Copyright: 2010 JournalStar.com
Website: Capitol pot protesters don't see mission as hopeless
* Thanks to MedicalNeed for submitting this article
After a parade through downtown Lincoln on Monday, women in tie-dye dresses and men with cardboard posters cheered at passing cars in front of the Capitol.
Their message: Across-the-board legalization of marijuana.
To many, it would seem a pointless goal -- but between honking horns (and a few middle fingers) from passersby, Omahan Brian Gray and others still argued.
"If I didn't think there was a point, I wouldn't be out here," Gray said.
He argued about the University of Nebraska becoming a leader in hemp research.
He argued sick people could use marijuana to feel better.
He argued pot doesn't actually cause the side effects that many fear.
And he argued that Nebraska needs the cash.
"Here's our answer."
Gray -- sporting a "Nebraska H.E.M.P." T-shirt with pot leaves instead of periods -- knew many people would write him off.
Those people have bought into the fear, stigma and apathy that surrounds any meaningful conversation about marijuana.
"I think, anymore, it's just the populace being ignorant," he said.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: JournalStar.com
Author: ZACH PLUHACEK
Contact: JournalStar.com
Copyright: 2010 JournalStar.com
Website: Capitol pot protesters don't see mission as hopeless
* Thanks to MedicalNeed for submitting this article
