EXTRAVAGANJA RALLY IS TOMMORROW

Chalked sidewalks campus-wide spread word of the University of
Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition's (CRC) annual Extravaganja rally,
which will be held tomorrow from noon until 8 p.m. on the Amherst Town Common.

Students will gather at noon to protest the laws and penalties surrounding
the possession and consumption of marijuana, while they relax and enjoy
music and other entertainment.

"It's time to stand up to the prudes, puritans and prohibitionists who want
to run everyone else's lives for them," said Terry Franklin, a member of CRC.

Franklin encouraged those who are interested in the legalization of
marijuana to get involved by joining CRC. He also stressed the need for
people to keep pressing the issue onto legislators.

"[People should] write to their state legislators, congressman, senators,
governor and president," he said.

CRC has organized this rally since the group's creation over 10 years ago.
In the past, the event has been the largest annual rally in Massachusetts
outside of the Boston's Freedom Fest, which usually welcomes 50,000
enthusiasts, Franklin said. This year the CRC expects a turnout of between
500 and 1,000 people, but says the numbers could vary due to an unpleasant
weather forecast.

"We are hoping for that many [people], though weather doesn't look
particularly good," he said.

Franklin feels the rally will attract many types of people, especially
college students. However, it will also appeal to many members of the
Amherst community at large, and it is intended for people of all ages, he said.

Five speakers will address the crowd, including CRC President Angela
Panaccione. Several bands will provide entertainment and vendors will sell
products such as clothing and jewelry.

This event is the first of many springtime rallies that argue for the
legality of the drug. The University of Rhode Island is having its
marijuana rally simultaneously in Providence, and students at Worcester
Polytechnic Institute are gathering for a similar purpose on May 3.