PRAGUE

THOUSAND GATHER TO SUPPORT LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA

About 1,000 people gathered Saturday in a central Prague park to support the legalization of marijuana.

Michal Polak, spokesman for the rally's organizers, said they sought a change in Czech legislation that would put marijuana on a par with alcohol and tobacco. Now, illegal possession and distribution of narcotics is punishable by up to 15 years in jail.

Polak said the rally participants did not want to encourage people to consume or distribute drugs, but were expressing criticism of the Czech penal code, which does not distinguish between hard and so-called "soft" drugs.

"To grow the plant should not be prohibited by law," Polak said.

In 2000, an estimated 25 tons of cannabis was consumed in the Czech Republic, according to an estimate by the national Statistical Institute.Similar gatherings took place in two other Czech cities, Pilzen and Brno, Polak said.

Pilsen

Another Czech Republic (or "CZ", but not "CREP" - aghhrrrrr!!!) city with it own MMM-synchronized "tribe-gathering" is Pilsen - yes, where Pilsner beer comes from - best served chilled with a joint ;-), aprox. 200000 inhabitants. Partialy well-known city name, thanks to beer, I guess...

I was also contacted by marijuana activists from Slovakia (city Bratislava) and Slovenia (city Ljubljana), which want to join MMM with their own happenings. I told them to contact you if they want to be listed...

This year's rally in Prague was fantastic - definitely over 2000 people, another hunderds sitting and laying on grass in nearby park. Horse-mounted policemen (and sexy policewomen, just like in Hair movie ;-) passing by. Group of neonazis who wanted to attack our gathering arrested by police. Only fine we paid so far was 1000 CZK (30 USD ;-) for expired technical certificate of one of our transport vans ;-)

I will send full report later, and I will also publish it in "In English" section of www.legalizace.cz - including photo galleries, etc. But later.

No doubt we WILL manage to redirect bunch of marijuana and other soft-drug tourists from Amsterdam to Prague - no matter what Prague city hall thinks about it ;-) I want my own Amsterdam here, without having to move outside Prague. Bad luck tat we cannot dig any canals here - we have too many hills around...

We almost managed to form "great coalition" here in Prague, but finally the most important pro-marijuana and pro-harm-reduction activists and journalists canceled their participation on MMM because of partial ban of event from the side of city hall... we had excellent media coverage, eg. mentioning girl with multiple sclerosis who spoke on the event about marijuana being only medicine which works for her, etc.

Thanks for the posters. This year, we are not yet able to send any financial support for poster printing, but as soon as we manage to turn MMM into fully permitted and legal street festival tolerated by city hall (which is not impossible, I hope), we may start sending posters the second direction over the ocean ;-))) All people liked it - it's fund, it has lot of energy, it's safe, it is "anti" something, but not aggressive...

--
Michael "xChaos" Polak

http://www.arachne.cz (Arachne Labs homepage)
http://www.mp3records.cz (100% legal and free music)
http://www.legalizace.cz (Stop drug war & release victims !)
http://www.vojna.cz (Petice za zruseni vojny i civilni sluzby)

www.legalizace.cz