AUSTIN -Hundreds of people chanting "Free the weed," "Legalize the herb" and
other slogans converged Saturday on the Capitol, calling for the
legalization of marijuana.

Demonstrators said the government should spend its time on violent
criminals, not on recreational pot smokers. About 300 people were in the
demonstration.

"This is not our biggest issue, and they shouldn't be incarcerating people
for it," said a 38-year-old computer hardware designer who asked not to be
identified.

Many compared laws banning the possession of marijuana to Prohibition. They
sported signs that read "Free the Weed and You Free Us," in addition to fake
garlands of marijuana and a few branches that looked suspiciously real. Many
wore costumes and carried drums. One man marched on stilts.

Zeal Stefanoff, a Hays County man who in 1991 protested drug laws by smoking
a joint in the San Marcos police station, called Saturday for more civil
disobedience.

"We're living under more Draconian laws than existed during Prohibition,"
Stefanoff said. "Every 45 seconds, someone in the U.S. is arrested for
marijuana."

Stefanoff asked supporters to turn themselves in.

"Walk in the police station, and turn yourselves in. If we put every one of
you into the courthouse, it's over," he said, predicting the county could
not handle that many arrests.

Other speakers Saturday called for legalization of medicinal uses of
marijuana. A few states, including California, have legalized medicinal
marijuana.

"If you want it to be seen as a medicine, we need to use it as such," said
Cristal Allen, a speaker at the event and who also uses the plant for
religious worship as a member of the Native American church.

Allen admonished the crowd to cut back on recreational uses for the drug in
favor of medicinal purposes.

"You're not just supposed to use it when you're out sitting with your
brothers drinking beer," Allen said.

Tourists inside the Capitol who accidentally walked into the middle of the
flamboyant crowd appeared confused. Similar marches were held in more than
90 cities Saturday.