PASS THE DUTCHIE TO EDWARD VII

The Stone And The Stoned Mix It Up At Queen's Park

A crowd of about 25 people stumbled onto the busy roundabout in front
of Queen's Park last weekend after emerging from the subway, cheering
"Smoke weed" and ignoring the sounds of car horns blazing.

But the small traffic jam caused by this group was nothing compared to
the estimated 15,000 to 20,000 cannabis supporters who gathered at
Queen's Park and marched through downtown at the 10th annual Global
Marijuana March.

Part of a worldwide movement in more than 200 cities, the day is
designed to celebrate cannabis culture and promote the legalization of
marijuana. Despite its humble beginnings a decade ago when about 300
pot enthusiasts attended, the march is now a full-blown festival
complete, with live music and vendors selling everything from hemp
products to hot wings. Toronto's edition of the march now boasts one
of the largest crowds in the world, said Neev Tapiro, one of its organizers.

But it wasn't all munchies and music last Saturday. With a speaker's
stage and an endless amount of information on medicinal marijuana,
there was also a political message. Whether or not it was understood
through the haze of smoke is another question.

"Most people just come here to party, but we like to hit them with a
message while they're having fun," said Marc Emery, a cannabis
activist better known as the "Prince of Pot" and a speaker at the
event. "Politics is best obtained through osmosis," he said.

Despite the array of elaborate water pipes in use and the unmistakable
odour of cannabis, police presence was minimal and charges were
nonexistent.

Tapiro attributes that to the lack of alcohol. "It keeps it really
peaceful," he explained. "There have been no arrests in the history of
the event. Fifty-five per cent of people in Canada believe in the
legalization of pot, and I'd like to think the same amount of police
do, too."

The crowd, consisting mostly of 16-to 21-year-olds, was allowed to
march peacefully through Yorkville before heading south on Yonge and
west on Wellesley to resume festivities at Queen's Park, smoking at
will the whole time.

"It's all about getting stoned," said one 17-year-old on parade, while
another group impatiently waited for their friend in line at a hot dog
stand on Bloor Street.

"But we're missing the march," one moaned.

"Dude, hot dogs. Just wait a minute," was the reply from the friend in
the lineup.

"About a third of the people actually go on the march, and by the time
it comes back it's about double the size," said Tapiro. "It's not like
people are required to smoke cannabis. You can celebrate Pride without
being gay, you can celebrate Caribana without being Caribbean, and
this is about celebrating the freedom for people to choose."