ANISQ' OYO' PARK GOES UP IN SMOKE

Music from several bands and the words of pro-hemp activists mingled with
swirling wisps of marijuana smoke in the air above Anisq' Oyo' Park on
Easter Sunday.

Hempwise owner Al Espino, master of ceremonies and organizer of this year's
"420" gathering said the message of this year's festival was the same as
those before it: to inform people about the different uses for hemp and
cannabis products. Espino said hemp and cannabis are an under-utilized
source of paper, fiber, fuel, food and medicine.

"This plant needs to be free," Espino said. "We need to be able to smoke it
in public. They need to stop arresting us for doing something that doesn't
hurt anybody."

Although the police kept a low profile, four citations were made for
possession of marijuana and paraphernalia. Isla Vista Foot Patrol Lt. Tom
McKinny said he and Espino discussed the event weeks ahead of time to
prevent any unnecessary altercations.

"Most people were cooperating and not causing problems," IVFP Deputy, who
chose to be identified as "G" Moore, said. "[The perpetrators] were either
lighting up right there [in front of me] or holding up baggies so that it
was impossible not to notice."

McKinny came to the park at 4:20 p.m., just as the crowd swelled to its
peak of about 400.

"[The police] will cooperate without letting things get out of hand. It
seems pretty peaceful," he said.

Arty Mirzatuny, a freshman psychology major, was one of the many students
to show up at 4:20 to enjoy the climax of the event.

"The cookies just taste better today, they taste like golden mellow," he said.

The grass at Anisq' Oyo' Park was littered with tortillas, which had been
thrown like Frisbees through the crowd during the festival. Rolin, a
homeless Isla Vistan, also dispersed flower petals in the crowd, adding a
splash of color to the tortilla-strewn grass.

A raffle was held to benefit the campus chapter of the National
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).

"We've been on campus since I don't know when," NORML student
representative Jeff Gelb said as he manned the NORML raffle table.

A variety of informational pamphlets was available at the NORML table, with
subjects including the many uses of hemp, the effects marijuana has on the
human body and even the Christian stance on the use of marijuana.

Espino said he altered the festival schedule slightly to accommodate the
impact of the Christian Easter holiday.

"It was a big deliberation whether to have it on Easter, but 420 is not the
same if it's not on 4/20," he said. "I'll tell you one thing, it's one of
the best Easters I've ever had."

Unlike other recent rallies in Anisq' Oyo' Park, the 420 festival took no
political stance on anything except marijuana.

"This is an apolitical open festival for all to share," said Espino. "The
war on drugs is happening here, and there have been lives lost and people
imprisoned."