PRO-MARIJUANA RALLY SPARKS UP TODAY

420 Rally Is Celebratory, but Medical Advocates Will Be There to Educate

Traditionally April 20 is known as the stoner holiday of the year,
and in Colorado marijuana advocates celebrate with the annual 420
Rally in Civic Center Park. But despite the celebratory aspect
surrounding the day's events, some medical marijuana advocates also
see the event as a venue for advocating for the professional and
medical side of marijuana use.

"For many years (the rally) was simply a smoke-out, but now it has
become more focused on the advocacy," said Brian Vicente of Sensible
Colorado, an advocacy group for effective drug policies. "It's become
an opportunity to educate people on medical marijuana use and laws."

Miguel Lopez, the rally's organizer, said the rally will follow the
guidelines for a professional public assembly, with a benediction,
keynote speaker and closing.

"The rally fits around professionalization," he said. "We are an
official assembly."

Andy Cookston, owner and operator of Cannabis Medical Technology at
762 Kalamath St., said he still sees the rally as more of a party.

"The convention was more of a T-N-A event ... and to me the 420
events will be the same," said Cookston, referring to the Colorado
Cannabis Convention held earlier this month at the Colorado Convention Center.

Cookston would like to see legislation focus on the difference
between medical use and recreational use. He said that the businesses
cropping up to support recreational legalization should be
distinguished from medical use supporting businesses.

"It would be real nice to get some clarity between medical use and
420 type people," he said. "420 events just remind me of people that
support marijuana in general. There is nothing wrong with that, but
our push is for marijuana for medical purposes."

Kayvan Khalatbari, one of the owners of Denver Relief at 1 Broadway,
is letting people know that the event should not be about getting
stoned but about advocating for medical purposes by cleaning the park
during the event. Tomorrow Khalatbari and about 30 of his patients,
dubbed the "Green Team," will wear green shirts and carry green trash
bags while cleaning during the rally.

"The rally is really based on marijuana use in general, and more on
the recreational side of it. But (marijuana use) is not just about
drugs, it's about wellness," he said. "As the Green Team, we want to
say that we're not all out here to smoke and degrade the space."

Khalatbari said there are businesses that are "forgetting" the core
values of marijuana use, like helping people with illness and pain.

"Wellness is an all encompassing thing," Khalatbari said. "Some
people are just in it for the business. But there is no reason to
bastardize and commercial it."

Today's rally is set to begin at 9 a.m. with DJ Ricky and ends at 6
p.m. There will be live music throughout the day, as well as speeches
by Larry Frieling, a former judge and current speaker for Law
Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP); Warren Edson, author of the
state's amendment regarding marijuana use; and Lopez.

"The last event was definitely a lot bigger, and they definitely
tried to make it more professional event, and I see a continuation of
this," Cookston said.

"You are going to have the usuals. You'll have the kids there to have
fun and smoke, but you'll see a lot more professionals this year than
in the past," Khalatbari said. "They are making it known that it's
not just stoners and kids that are using marijuana."

For more information about today's rally, visit www.myspace.com/420rally