BOSTON HEMPFEST GROWS WITH LAX LAWS

The 20th Boston Freedom Rally - a giant pro-pot hoedown in the heart
of the city - ignited the Common yesterday as a swarm of openly toking
marijuana enthusiasts descended on the Hub's landmark park to enjoy
the new chilled-out hemp laws.

The annual rally, also known as Boston Hempfest, and its supporters
lauded the Bay State's new law, effective Jan. 1, 2009, that
decriminalized possession of one ounce or less of marijuana, making it
a simple civil infraction.

Musical entertainment could be heard from two different stages set up
for the smoky shindig, which was hosted by the Massachusetts Cannabis
Reform Coalition and drew thousands outdoors on a sun-filled,
late-summer day.

Instead of arrests, Boston police were issuing citations to revelers
unabashedly getting lit up in the nation's oldest public park.

According to officials, the rally was relatively peaceful, and 136
citations were issued. But three individuals were arrested for
possession with intent to distribute, said officer James Kenneally, a
Boston police spokesman.

According to state law, one ounce or less is a civil offense
punishable by a $100 fine. Possession of more than one ounce is still
a criminal offense in Massachusetts.

Rally coordinators used their Web site to warn attendees to come
well-supplied, as only the smoking and not the buying of ganja was
permitted at Freedom Rally 2009.