COURTHOUSE PROTESTERS WANT LEGAL MARIJUANA

Group Supports Ohio House Bill 478 Twice a Week

Four demonstrators waving cardboard signs near the Lucas County
Courthouse got honks, waves, and thumbs-up from downtown drivers Saturday.

Their hand-painted messages? "Honk 4 Weed" and "Legalize the Leaf."

Their cause? Support for Ohio House Bill 478, which includes
legalization of medicinal marijuana.

The group has been demonstrating downtown every Saturday at "high
noon" for several months.

Demonstrators gather at Adams and Erie streets, near the courthouse's
Ten Commandments monument, for an hour to an hour and a half,
depending on the weather, and recently added weekly demonstrations at
noon Wednesdays.

"My own personal view is that, No. 1, prohibition has never worked.
And the medical marijuana movement is based upon the fact that it can
be used for a whole lot of things," said Dave Green, 54, of
Waterville who is self-employed.

"Marijuana has been used to treat glaucoma and nausea successfully,
and it's very good treatment for people with multiple sclerosis. My
personal feeling is that marijuana should be [as legal as] tomatoes."

Brian Holt, 45, of Toledo said he was there Saturday with a "Honk 4
Weed" sign, and wearing a green "Honk 4 Weed" T-shirt, because he
considers the legalization of marijuana to be a human rights issue.

"I'm here every week and I don't smoke [marijuana]," he said.

Noah Bennett, 19, of West Toledo, said his "Honk 4 Weed" signs
represents, in part, people who are imprisoned for smoking pot. He
said pharmaceuticals, alcohol, and processed tobacco with additives
are all much worse for society than marijuana.

He said he thinks marijuana should be completely legal, and sees the
pending Ohio legislation as a move in the right direction.

"We want to do it step by step," said Mr. Bennett, an Owens Community
College student who works delivering pizzas.

He said Saturday's turnout of four demonstrators was low because it
was New Year's Day.

"We usually have 15 to 30 -- and we had 50 once," he said, "but I
think alcohol got the best of them last night."

Sierra Blake, 16, waved a pro-weed sign at the trickle of holiday
traffic and got an abundance of honks.

"They love us!" she said. "Even some policemen and ambulance drivers honk."