PRO-MARIJUANA ACTIVISTS STAGE OWN TALKFEST

Pro-marijuana activists gathered for an alternative drug summit outside
State Parliament in Sydney yesterday.

But the only joint in sight was a 3m model atop The Cannabus, their
multi-coloured coach.

About 30 activists settled into The Domain park for an alternative to the
official talkfest.

The group will light 700 lanterns in memory of those who have died from
drug overdoses in Australia over the past year.

Michael Balderstone of the Nimbin Hemp Embassy said too much of the
official summit was dedicated to heroin.

``We reckon if there had been reasonable cannabis laws in the last 20 years
there would not be anywhere near the heroin problem there is now,'' he
said. Mr Balderstone estimates one million people in NSW smoke cannabis and
argues they can't all be criminals.