At the state capitol in Madison, Wis., the smell of marijuana is in the air, alternative rock music is playing, and the police are nowhere to be found.
Nearly 300 people showed up Sunday afternoon and marched one mile up State Street to the steps of the capitol to support the legalization of marijuana.
Some held signs saying “I am not a criminal” and “Legalize freedom” and “Give weed a chance” while others shouted and chanted.
“Your mother wants you to smoke weed!”
As part of the 36th annual Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival, marijuana legalization supporters gathered here to listen to live music and celebrate the fall harvest — of weed.
Sponsored by Madison NORML, Wisconsin NORML, Is My Medicine Legal Yet, University of Wisconsin-Madison Students for Sensible Drug Policy, the Drug Policy Forum of Wisconsin and Weedstock.com, the Harvest Fest, as it’s commonly known, has been an annual event since 1970.
I admit I had no idea this was happening until I stumbled upon the march earlier this afternoon, and being curious, followed along to see what was going on. I was also glad to see — or rather smell — civil disobedience being used to protest bad laws.
Supporters continued to arrive after the festivities started, in groups of three or five or twenty, while passersby stopped to listen to the music and wonder what was going on.
I’ve seen only sporadic signs of a police presence at the rally, even with the occasional cloud of marijuana smoke drifting across the air. Capitol police stood at a distance and listened to the pro-medical marijuana speeches, but made no move to arrest anyone, even those openly smoking pot.
“We must work to make sure,” said SSDP’s Dan Goldman, “that Prohibition ends.”
“Drug prohibition hurts the children. Drug prohibition sends the wrong message.”
At 4:20, the speeches wrapped up, local band Little Marsh Overflow played, and while the police looked on from a respectable distance, the people smoked up.
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Karl Marx would love the popular moves among politicians in various state governments and the federal government to ban so-called "junk" food in schools, and to "put healthy food in" convenience stores and on the tables of those they define as poor. It's a very elitist and arrogant mindset that promotes this ideology, and it needs to be addressed.
Ultimately, the war supporters in Congress prevailed in the vote on the resolution. Still, the vote was significant because it places every member of Congress on the record as supporting or not supporting the unconstitutional, costly, violent occupation of a country that never attacked us. This vote should serve as an important reminder to the American people of where their representatives really stand when it comes to policing the world, empire building, and war.
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Mr Go
Oct 09, 2006
bunch on damn hippies!
Whimspiration
Oct 09, 2006
Horray for civil disobedience!
Kevin Fields
Oct 12, 2006
Well, isn’t it obvious? The police were too damned stoned to take action! ;-)
Anonymous
Oct 18, 2006
What really needs to be addressed is the legislated rebellions against our legal form of government, under which every liberty was secured constitutionally to ourselves before any powers were delegated to legislators and under which legislators were forbidden to deny or diminish any freedom by indirect means. These domestic enemies of our constitution and the traitors who empower them must be delt with and their seditious insurrection against the United States put down.
Frank
Oct 20, 2006
Harvest Fest cannot be explained — It must be experienced!
forstand
Oct 20, 2006
People are property of the state. We exist so that business can make money. Pot users are not good consumers of products and goods nor do they contribute greatly to taxation. Everything the US government does is geared to business making money.
IMHO it is eminent domain to the extreme as we are property of the state. The government believes it is their sovereign right to exercise eminent domain over its subjects and their property.
mary jane
Nov 01, 2006
LONG LIVE THE WEED!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anonymous
Feb 05, 2007
“Penalties against drug use should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against the possession of marijuana in private for personal use.”~President Jimmy Carter
JackInTheMox
Feb 08, 2007
JUST BLAME JON COOK
JackInTheMox
Feb 08, 2007
SMOKE AND BE HAPPY
alice
Feb 08, 2007
why stop at weed my sunshine friends
chaos67
Feb 08, 2007
The struggle for cannabis freedoom goes on world wide
we do our part here in Sweden
bavet
Feb 08, 2007
God made weed for you n mee yeeaaa!!
Simon
Feb 12, 2007
right before 1937, when cannabis/hemp almost bypassed nylon manufacturers ( who’s job it was to produce materials out of oil byproducts) , it was made illegal.
Just before that , cannabis had been used for over 5000 years without causing any problems whatsoever.
There’s not a single true ecuse to prohibit cannabis , aside from the fact that current leaders will not tolerate people seeing through them.
Cannabis allows the user to see through false facades.
Cannabis smokers will not tolerate lying politicians…and this is THE main reason why USA banned Cannabis..
Hemp however allows people to grow their own fuels , and fabrics…
capice?
Melanie
Feb 14, 2007
Cannabis was banned in the US because of when it was brought over the border and then smoked by black americans… the white americans didnt like how the black men were starting to look white women in the eye and stand on the white mans shadows… its ilegal because of racisim the other excuses as to why its illegal are just cover ups for the original reason… its bullshit! people do moer harm drinking alcohol than they do smoking pot… all the pot smokers out there… how many of you HONESTLY could be bothered beating up your wife and kids if you were high?? I know for sure that I cant be assed doing anything but watching buzzy movies and eating… Go Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas with a side of Hokey Pokey Ice Cream… Yummmmm… GO NEW ZEALAND LEAGALISE THE SHIT ALREADY MAKE US ALL HAPPY!! Joint anyone??
Brandon
Feb 22, 2007
Melanie speaks the truth, good stuff.
Lemme hit that Melanie.
Melanie
Feb 22, 2007
Pass the Dutchie to the left hand side… take it Brandon!!
Anonymous
Mar 07, 2007
Wow, the government allows kids to get knocked up on riddlelin and the people who needs marijuana for glaucoma can’t use it because it’s illegal.. Sad.. POWER TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA
Garry Minor
Mar 15, 2007
In 1936 Sula Benet a Polish Anthropologist discovered that in the original Hebrew of the Old Testament the word “kaneh bosm” was translated as calamus, or fragrant cane by the Greeks in the 3rd century BC. The correct translation is “cannabis”. This was confirmed by the Hebrew Institute of Jerusalem in 1980.
In Exodus 30:23, God instructs Moses to use 250 shekels of “kaneh bosm” in the oil used to anoint all Kings, Priests, and Prophets, for all generations, including Jesus. The title Christ means literally “anointed”. Kaneh is also listed as an incense tree in Song of Songs 4:14. The mistake was repeated in Isaiah 43:24, Jeremiah 6:20, and Ezekiel 27:19. There are 141 references to anointing and 145 for burning incense in your Bible.
You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free!
Anonymous
Mar 19, 2007
this is rediculouse
Drew S.
Mar 27, 2007
I am definitly going to Harvest fest this year I love pokin tha smot, I think it is totally bullshit how it is illegal. It’s just another bullshit reason to fuck people over. Alchohol is a bigger problem. Not that we should prohibit alchohol, but we should all just POKESMOT
melanie weed
Apr 12, 2007
well i think that if weed were legal then it would be less fun…but thats just me, the thrill of “almost” getting caught and having an excellent story to tell at the next sit down, it’s the best in the world.
ollie
Apr 18, 2007
smoke all day, and everyday bitches!
kpz
Apr 18, 2007
420 bitches, my grandpa was with the waldo’s!
michelle bubnis
Apr 18, 2007
i smoke everyday!oh and i got crabs(itches)!
michelle bubnis
Apr 18, 2007
i smoke everyday!oh and i got crabs(itches)!!
michelle bubnis
Apr 18, 2007
i smoke everyday!oh and i got crabs(itches)!!!
Erica
Jun 01, 2007
iam a true pot head and really would like for my fellow potheads to e-mail me of any weed fest cause i would really like to go to one i’ll smoke one for ya’ll thanks
baconsmeller
Jun 17, 2007
hey erica, you’re totally a cop
J. Martin
Aug 23, 2007
damn the man! No one should tell me to grow up, be responsible, and not to complain when I have smoked myself into poverty. After I exercise my god given right to squander my life and talents in the pursuit of being totally stoned all the time and I need a hand out from taxpayers to keep my lights on, my kids fed and my section 8 housing paid for, I should not be denied. Nor should I be denied free medical care when my impoverish stoned ass needs aid to cure the problems I created by being a rebel. Long live the festical of stupidity!
Thubten
Sep 22, 2007
J.Martin perpetuate the stereo type…it is easier than accepting reality, a joint is no different than two glasses of wine. What is your drug of choice…jacking off? Wack it away it is harmless like weed. For people who are addicted to weed …if it weren’t weed it would be something else like gambling.
hallelluyahallaback
Oct 02, 2007
Allen Ginsberg always thought that the only reason why paranoia is a major side affect to smoking the reefer is due to the fact that it is illegal. when the mind is a free vessel of thought and bliss when under the influence. it is the fact that your subconcience is gnawing on the thought of getting caught, on that constant reminder in the back of your head, always keeping you aware of possible dangers. perhaps within the legalization of pot we would’nt just be able to put a small tax on pot and help our nat’l economy, but we’d also possibly be able to extinguish the paranoia that we all tend to feel at times of worry.
roberto rynelds
Oct 04, 2007
i love smoking pot and haveing sex for money
thos are not a crime im sik of being persicuted for what makes me feel good
Alicia
Oct 24, 2007
I think that weed should totally be legalized!!!! i smoke everyday and it hasnt harmed me in anyway.it just makes me HAPPY!!! I still do great in school and get all of my work that i need to do. LEGALIZE IT!!!!!!!!!!!
btoborg1
Oct 24, 2007
I love smokin’ the ganja. It’s a stress reliever, a sleep-aid, can be a headache reliever, a pain-reliever, an aphrodisiac for some, a beatufiully smelling herb that is unlike any other plant on this planet. It’s a direct gateway to alternative thinking, outside of the propagandized world-view that we see in a sober mindstate. It’s a pathway to seeing the lies that fueled the unjust policies and laws in this country, and world. Of course, smoke is not good for your lungs. But who said you had to smoke cannabis to obtain its liberating effects? In the view of the prohibitionists, smoking cannabis is a “crime” which should be punished by imprisonment. But for what? Is it possible that drugs are illegal for a reason other than to “save our children”? Perhaps so that prices become higher, and thus the CIA can smuggle in the drugs they want to fund their agency?
Cannabis is liberating, and those who oppose the legalization of the herb stand for nothing but oppression. It has been a view that was spoonfed to those who are for prohibition. In otherwords, it’s not their view at all — it’s the people who stand for oppression who spoonfed this view. If you are one of the prohibition advocates, do yourself a favor and stand up for freedom for once. Nobody said you had to smoke cannabis, and nobody said anybody had to smoke cannabis. But the option should be there, especially for those who need medical treatment, and the current legal treatments are either doing them more harm or not helping much at all.
btoborg1
Oct 24, 2007
Prohibition advocates don’t seem to understand what the true agenda of illegalizing cannabis, and all other drugs. It’s racism, and to knock out competition for the benefit of certain industries. The hemp industry was a real threat to the logging industry. Racism really fueled the heat, too. Take a look at Reefer Madness… can you prohibition advocates not see the lies there? If you can, then what makes the current situation less of a lie?
young bergner
Dec 05, 2007
I SMOKE WEED EVERYDAY
IM IN LOVE WITH MARYJANE
SHES MY MANE THING>
IN FACT IM HIGH AS HELL RITE NOW
THIS ONES FOR TYTY ANDY B B ELLIOT BUCKWEET CORBEANO MY LONG LOST NIGGA JORDAN THAMES AND TO ALL MY NIGGAS IN THE AGG TOWN
I GOT 5 ON IT
billy b
Jan 10, 2008
weweed should be legalized and alchohol illegal…put 20 potheads in a room and 20 drinkers in another..see what room has a fight first..see what room has a violent act of somekind 1st….weed room will only have slight arguement over the last cup-cake and piece of pizza..as for the drinkers will blugeoun you to death for looking at him wrong..seriously..ever seen someone smoke a hooter and go wreck into a family of 6? rob a bank for “more weed man”? run the nieghbor over cuz his dog shit on your lawn? smoke up people fu@em if they dont like it;-)
four20badassmofo
Jan 10, 2008
i own a business make from 90-140 Gs a year and donate to many charities…in all the different charities i donate more then 6-7 grand a year to help from cancer research to needy familys for holiday food drives ..the list goes on…i go to church from time to time and give to the offering plate..i adopted a indonesian orphan and show her love and teach her well.. i coach wrestling donate many endless hours to fundraising events have helped keep peoples utilities on that had children and needed my help….and when i get home from doing my many tasks i sit down and ROLL A FAT JOINT is that so bad? dam the man if hes gonna tell me i cant smoke…i grow my own weed…its great quality AND I DONT HAVE TO SUBJECT MYSELF TO the CRIMINAL ELEMENT of “scoring” on the street..just legalize it and it wouldnt cause problems,,,tax it and make money ffor the u.s.a…those who want to smoke can pay taxes or like me,….grow it yourslef:-)