PLANS FOR ANNUAL MEMORIAL DAY MARIJUANA FEST GO UP IN SMOKE

MADISON, Wis. -(AP)- Plans to hold the annual Weedstock marijuana
festival over Memorial Day weekend have gone up in smoke. Organizers say
a pending lawsuit stemming from last year's festival promoting the
legalization of marijuana made it impossible to stay on schedule with
this year's event.

As last year's Weedstock was beginning, a judge ordered it shut down
because the organizers hadn't obtained a permit required under a newly
passed Sauk County ordinance covering open-air gatherings.

The owner of the farm where the festival was being held later filed suit
against the county, contending the action halting the event was
unconstitutional.

The lawsuit remains pending.

``The court date has been pushed to the first week of June, and the
legal arguments are a little too unsettled for Weedstock to go on,''
said Ben Masel, coordinator of Weedstock.

Masel said he is confident the event will be rescheduled later in the
summer, once the legal case is resolved.