Pompo

Supporters rally for marijuana
5/4/08|The Fort Collins Coloradoan| by Tim Keith

Supporters of legalizing marijuana gathered in Civic Center Park behind the Larimer County Justice Center on Saturday.

The event in Fort Collins was part of the Global Marijuana March; 239 cities across the globe also held events.

Supporters also set up shop in Boulder, Denver and Colorado Springs.

"We believe it's time to stop the prohibition on marijuana," said Gregory Stinson, president of Front Range Norml, a group that advocates the legalization of marijuana. "It's senseless and needless."

Marijuana is a safer alternative to many prescription medicines and alcohol, he said.

While many people a year die from prescription and over-the-counter drugs, none die from marijuana use, said Tim Gordon, a member of Norml who helped organize the Fort Collins event.

The federal government considers marijuana a Schedule I substance, meaning it's got high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use. And using marijuana brings several health risks, including impairment, increased risk of heart attack and added potential for lung cancer, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Saturday's event advocated for two bills that are currently in Congress, HR 5842 and HR 5843.

HR 5842 would prevent the federal government from interfering with medical marijuana programs in states where they are legal.

HR 5843 would eliminate federal penalties for the possession of 100 grams and "not-for-profit" transfer of one ounce of marijuana.

Marijuana laws and biases are based on false propaganda, Gordon said.

Marijuana users are not going to "hack people to death with a machete," as some "government propaganda" has portrayed them as doing, Stinson said.

An unfair stigma is attached to users, Bill Omarrow said.

"It's still associated with hard-core drugs, and I don't think it should be," Omarrow said.

The association was probably because of the drug culture of the 1970s, the Loveland chef said.

Omarrow, who has degenerative back disease, said he has used marijuana for medical reasons for almost 40 years.

"I've had the other stuff," he said. "I know what I've been through and I would rather do this than (traditional treatment)."

The use of marijuana by responsible adults should be allowed, said Mike Larson of Angel Fire, New Mexico, who stopped briefly at a bench in the park outside of the Justice Center on his way to a wedding.

"(I have) nothing against it," he said. "As long as they do it responsibly and don't go out driving and being hazardous."