MARCHERS PUSH MARIJUANA'S MEDICAL MERITS

Global Protest Draws Nearly 500 In Calgary

Close to 500 protesters took to the streets Saturday in favour of
marijuana's medicinal use and making it more accessible to those
suffering debilitating pain.

The fourth annual Worldwide Marijuana March -- along Stephen Avenue
and ending up at city hall -- was one of over 200 other protests
around the world scheduled to take place.

Keith Fagin, organizer of the march and founder of Calgary 420
Cannabis Community, has been smoking marijuana for 35 years. He said
the purpose of the march is to put forward the message of people who
have been denied marijuana as a medical treatment.

"There are myths about marijuana, and unfortunately people do not
know how much it can help people who are suffering," he said.

Nancy Brown, parade marshall and co-founder of the Calgary Medicinal
Marijuana Centre, has used a wheelchair as a result of multiple
sclerosis and fibromyalgia.

Although Brown has a government exemption to legally grow and consume
marijuana, she believes the government "makes it too hard for people
to get the help they deserve."

She also believes marijuana has received a bad rap, and is not as
dangerous as made out in the media.

"There has never been a recorded case in history where someone has
overdosed on marijuana, but the same cannot be said for other drugs," she said.

According to Fagin there are currently 2,000 Canadians who are
receiving government regulated medicinal marijuana -- but he believes
thousands more could benefit.

He said the government "robbed" people when they took away a
$4-million program designed to help sick Canadians receive medicinal
marijuana treatments.

Health Canada reported in March that doctors have been increasing the
dosage of marijuana supplied to patients, acknowledging marijuana
grown by the Canadian government is not as potent as that being grown
by patients or outside suppliers.

Protesters Saturday were clad in green T-shirts and held green
balloons, waving signs reading "Recognition is good medicine" and
"Legalize, regulate, educate."

About a dozen police officers armed with camcorders and cameras
patrolled the crowd, arresting and charging three people for the
possession of marijuana. But police said the crowd overall was calm
and people well-behaved as they walked through the downtown core.

And while the crowd consisted mostly of young people chanting "Smoke
weed, smoke weed," at the top of their lungs, there were people
supporting Fagin's message.

Fagin points to a need for better education about the benefits of
marijuana. He believes by educating young people they will be able to
make better decisions about drug use.

"I'm not saying we should be giving pot to our kids. We need to tell
kids 'please abstain,' but we still need to honest with them," he said.

Fagin said his parents told him people who used cannabis were hippies
and using it made you a bad person.

"They really bought into reefer madness."

But Sgt. John Moriarity of the Calgary Police Service stressed many
protesters Saturday simply used the event as an excuse to smoke pot in public.

"It's mostly recreational users that show up to this kind of event,
so the true message might be kind of lost on them."

Cheryl Houtekamer of the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission
has said marijuana is one of the top substances doing harm to young
people, alongside tobacco and alcohol. According to a 2005 survey,
almost 25 per cent of Alberta youth have used marijuana.