LEGALIZATION FOCUS OF 420 FESTIVAL

Virginia Tech students and local Blacksburg residents voiced their
opinions Friday about the right to legally smoke marijuana for
medicinal and recreational purposes without fear of facing arrest.

These are some of the issues pertaining to the legalization of
marijuana that were raised and discussed at the 420 Festival on campus
April 20. The festival was sponsored by the Virginia Tech National
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws chapter.

Students and community members gathered at the Amphitheater at the
Duck Pond from 12 to 8 p.m. for a day of music and drug awareness.

"This event is a great way for the public to access information about
marijuana," said Komal Dhillon, president of the campus NORML chapter
and a junior political science major.

Dhillon, along with chapter treasurer and sophomore English major
Michael Pearce, operated a NORML information table located adjacent to
the stage.

"Our goal is to decriminalize (marijuana)," Dhillon said. "We want
less severe punishments for things such as small possession charges."

According to a NORML brochure, over 500,000 Americans are arrested for
marijuana possession annually.

Pearce added that a big part of the day's message was
awareness.

"We really want to get the facts and myths separated in relation to
the drug," he said. "The more people who are aware, the stronger our
cause gets."

Providing the entertainment were four bands advocating NORML's cause.
Strive, The Kind, Knotty Groove and Rhesus performed throughout the
day's festivities to the delight of students.

"I came to check out the bands," said Zach Erwin, a junior biological
chemistry major. "I heard Rhesus was a tight band and they definitely
impressed me."

Rhesus played long songs in the style of "jam bands" like Phish and
the Grateful Dead. The group also performed Pink Floyd cover (one
cover or many covers?).

Mingling with students in the crowd was Virginia Lieutenant Governor
hopeful Gary Reams of the Libertarian Party.

Reams is running for the office on a single-issue platform based on
reforming marijuana laws. Fittingly, he calls his plan a
"Reeferendum."

"The drug warriors preach intolerance," Reams said. "I am the
candidate that wants maximum tolerance."

He continued, saying that tolerance is the cornerstone of a civil
society.

Reams believes he can get his foot in the door at the lieutenant
governor position and work his way up from there.

"Voters care more about who is elected to the other state-wide
offices, so it's less of a risk to vote your conscience in the
election for lieutenant governor," he said.

On election day, Reams will find out just how many people support him
when the votes are cast. But he insists that his campaign doesn't have
to result in election to be successful.

"I want to see how many votes I can get," Reams said. "Votes for me
will act as a loud voice against the war on drugs."

Around Reams and his potential support group were other stands
dispensing information and selling goods.

Groups including Taking Responsibility for Earth and the Environment
and FreeThinkers set up shop for the day and promoted their causes.

Other stands sold t-shirts, silver jewelry and hemp
necklaces.

The festivities ended with a final song by Rhesus, a few closing words
from Reams and an "open-invite" drum circle.

For NORML and Reams, the day was one of accomplishment and activity.
Students kept the amphitheater busy all day, literature was
distributed and awareness was promoted. NORMAL and Reams hoped that
negative opinions towards marijuana were changed due to the
eye-opening information presented Friday.