TWO ARRESTED AT PRO-MARIJUANA RALLY IN TORONTO

TORONTO -- A marijuana protest turned nasty Saturday when at least two
people were detained during scuffles with city police on a park lawn near
the provincial legislature.

The dustup started after police -- accompanied by municipal bylaw officers
and parks officials -- shut down the Canabian Day festival, a pro-pot rally
when Toronto organizers failed to produce the necessary permits and insurance.

"The major issue is the fact that we couldn't get any insurance," said
organizer Marko Ivancicevic.

"Basically, the last two years we've tried to get the (event) insurance but
they keep denying us because it is a marijuana-based event."

Several hundred demonstrators were barred from accessing a rented stage and
using any sound equipment, including microphones and speakers, pulling the
plug on a scheduled concert by six pro-marijuana bands.

Tempers flared when a young male had his glasses smashed as he was
restrained by officers after propping a protest sign reading, Legalize It
and Weed My Lips, against a statue of King Edward.

"As far as I know, my friend was just standing there holding a sign, and
then next thing I know, the cops are putting him in the back of a paddy
wagon," said Dan Adams.

"He didn't do anything."

A second protester, also holding a placard, tripped over a skateboard as he
was put into a nearby cruiser, prompting jeers from the crowd.

No names were released and it was not known if any charges were laid.

Another demonstrator, Dominick Cramer - who runs the non-profit Toronto
Compassion Centre, which provides therapeutic marijuana to people who are
sick - was warned by police that he too could face arrest after he got into
a shouting match with officers.

"This is ridiculous," Cramer said.

"The cops for some reason decided to get violent and threatening kids that
were just holding a sign ... He wasn't smoking up, he was just holding a sign."

Police spokesman Sgt. Joseph Gataveckas said he wasn't aware of any arrests
Saturday.

"Like any protest, (officers are) there to keep the peace and to make sure
that no one breaks the law," Gataveckas added.

Similar protests were also slated for Hamilton and Niagara Falls.

Statistics Canada reported last month that about three million Canadians,
or 12.2 per cent, used cannabis at least once in the last year, with the
highest rates of use among teens.

Prime Minister Paul Martin has promised to introduce legislation to
decriminalize the possession of small quantities of the drug.

The Toronto arrests, however, only emboldened protesters who flagrantly lit
joints and passed out "chronic candy."

Others -- like Steven Bacon, a medical marijuana user -- wore his Health
Canada permit on is forehead as he clung to a live pot plant and addressed
the crowd.

Bacon, who suffers from spinal cord and digestive problems, likened the
Toronto arrests to the recent sentencing of another marijuana advocate in
Saskatchewan.

Marc Emery, president of the B.C. Marijuana Party and founder of Cannabis
Culture magazine, was sentenced Thursday to three months in jail after
pleading guilty to passing a joint to a supporter last March.

"Mark is being made an example of by the justice system," Bacon told the
crowd. "They've put him in jail for 90 days, for God's sakes."