40,000 IN BOSTON COMMON SUPPORT LEGALIZING MARIJUANA

BOSTON (AP) -- With swirls of marijuana smoke wafting through the air,
about 40,000 people poured into Boston Common on Saturday for a rally
supporting legalization of the drug.

Police, who had vowed a crackdown on the 9th Annual Freedom Rally, arrested
about 40 on drug possession charges. That's far fewer than the 150 arrests
at last year's event, which attracted about 10,000 more people.

Richard Elrick, a councilman in the Cape Cod town of Barnstable, sold
"Decriminalize Marijuana" buttons to help raise money for the cause.

"Marijuana is less of a public-health threat than alcohol or tobacco," he
said. "I can't think of a more counterproductive way for society to spend
its resources than to arrest marijuana users."