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Protesters sow marijuana around Oakland City Hall

Demonstrators object
The Tri-Valley Herald

By Glenn Chapman, STAFF WRITER

OAKLAND -- Medical marijuana advocates dipped into burlap sacks filled with cannabis seeds and planted a pot crop on the City Hall lawn Sun- day to protest a proposal to tighten restrictions on "Oaksterdam" dispensaries.

Two dozen self-described medical marijuana patients dressed in wide-brimmed hats, bib overalls and other gardening garb hefted hoes and shovels as they prepared for an unauthorized planting in Frank Ogawa Plaza. An estimated 1 million marijuana seeds, weighing a total of 25 pounds, were in two sacks on the ground.

One of the sacks bore the words "Red Hair Sinsemilla ... Superior Quality Seed."

A straw-stuffed scarecrow on a pole wore a picture-face of City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente, who wants to cap the number of dispensaries at four and ban marijuana from being consumed on the premises.

The proposal set for consideration at Tuesday's City Council meeting would also reduce the number of plants a patient could grow for personal medicinal use to 18 from the current 72.

"It is absolutely crazy," said Angel McClary Raich, one of the speakers at the protest event organized by Americans for Safe Access. "The city is taking a step backwards. I am ashamed the city of Oakland is taking away our medicine."

The proposed restrictions would force medical marijuana users to use their doses in the streets instead of in supportive and controlled settings at dispensaries, those at the subdued, those at the hourlong protest maintained. Making the prescribed drug harder to get and use could also cost patients their lives, warned A.S.A. Executive Director Steph Sherer.


"We see this as a safe zone for patients," Hillary McQuie said before the sowing began. "They can harvest medicine in Frank Ogawa Plaza and then go in City Hall and medicate."

As they tossed seeds, planters sang "Inch by inch, row by row, De La Fuente, let us grow." A while later, the chant was given a playful twist, finishing with "make De La Fuente grow."

The event garnered little attention from passersby, and police working on nearby streets paid no heed to the gathering.

State law makes it illegal to cultivate marijuana, but those with medical marijuana cards are afforded latitude.

Some protesters wore cannabis leis and others handed out homemade treats designated only for medical marijuana patients. Members of the group scooped handfuls of seeds from the sacks and strewed them about the plaza lawn. Sherer made a special point of piling a mound of seeds at the base of the De la Fuente effigy. Among those at the protest was Jeff Jones, director of the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Club shut down by federal officials.

Sherer said opponents of the medicinal marijuana restrictions will be out in force at the coming City Council meeting.

"If it doesn't go well, we have a backup plan," Sherer said as those around her sowed more than seeds of protest. "We harvest."

The seed sacks remained about half-full by the time the activists held hands in a circle and closed the protest by singing "We shall overcome."

"I hope to come back a couple of weeks from now and see young plants everywhere," said Aundre Speciale, a 37-year-old mother and Montclair homeowner who uses marijuana to curb panic attacks. "That would be a beautiful thing."

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Alien Space Signal

There's no money for your issue so long as we're squandering $50 billion a year on the DrugWar. Ben Masel

Fear became the ultimate tool of this government - V.

 

smoking_joe_lee

There is a word for the activity described here, vandalism. This is a crime. California is one of a few states with medical marijuana policy. How is this going to help?

Logos

It is also sometimes referred to as civil disobedience. Martin Luther King Jr. used to speak extensively of the practice with regard to social change.

Henry David Thoreu wrote a whole book on the subject. I think it's about time to go read that now... http://eserver.org/thoreau/civil.html

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Brother Logos
The more I learn, the less I know.
THC Ministry | The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ | The Reluctant Messenger of Science and Religion
True religion is real living, living with all one's soul, with all ones goodness and righteousness. --Albert Einstein

Johnyapplseed

I would't call tossing some seeds around vadalism it didn't say they used the shuvles for anything other than props. The officers that were in the surounding area had no problem with the manner in wich the protest was being caried out.
Of course I could be entirely wrong I wish the article had more specific in this area.

All in all it sounds like a great Idea for us all to join in this sort of civil disobedience in more private fashion
Seed the Planet

JoohnyA

dfdsf

Why do people have to grow such large ammounts for "Personal". Its not worth the risk, common, 18 plants is VERY sufficient, expecially if you have a good setup. In my eyes you don't need to be growing more then 10 plants at a time anyways, unless infact you are planning on profiting.