TEXANS CONVENE TO SUPPORT LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA

Amid the incense aromas and reggae beats, several hundred Austinites
rallied at the Capitol on Saturday for the legalization of marijuana
for personal and medical use.

The Texas branch of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform
of Marijuana Laws, and Outgrow Big Bro, a cannabis-user advocacy
organization, hosted Sunday's Texas Cannabis Crusade.

Josh Schimberg, director of Texas NORML, said the Texas Cannabis
Crusade was part of the 2008 Global Marijuana March. More than 200
cities worldwide registered for rallies at the Global Marijuana March
Web site.

"We're trying to get everybody that agrees with us to come together
at the Capitol and show people that we want the laws changed,"
Schimberg said. "And we will get together and congregate to show the
politicians, show the public that there's a group of people out here
in the public that are being persecuted and we want it to stop."

Event attendee Julian Ward said he gave written testimony last year
for medical marijuana use, but the bill did not pass.

"I'm on a lot of drugs that are dangerous drugs, legally, and was
told that if I could be on marijuana, that I wouldn't need to take
these drugs," Ward said.

Starting Sept. 1, 2007, Texas police officers could legally issue
citations instead of arresting people in possession of four ounces or
less of marijuana. The officer can only issue a citation if the
individual is a resident of the county where the offense occurred,
according to the policy.

Reps. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and Ron Paul, R-Texas, on April 17
introduced a bill to the U.S. House of Representatives that would
eliminate most federal penalties for possession of marijuana for
personal use.

The bill is in committee and defines personal use as 100 grams or
less or the not-for-profit transfer of one ounce or less of marijuana
between adults. According to the bill, a civil penalty for public use
of marijuana may still be imposed.

The same day, April 17, Frank, Paul and three other legislators
introduced the Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act, which is
also still in committee. The bill would prohibit federal law from
interfering in states with laws protecting the possession,
transportation and manufacture of medical marijuana to prescribed
patients.

Sarah Newton, a philosophy and English student at Texas A&M-Corpus
Christi, spoke at the rally as Miss High Times 2007. She said
legalization of marijuana is a pressing issue in the U.S. and
strongly believes that it is a right for which people need to fight.

"We have people that need it, not just to get high but for
medication. Some people need it to survive," Newton said. "Not to
mention, in college, we all know we're stressed out, and it
definitely helps out."