QUEEN'S PARK RALLY GOES ALL TO POT

Police Keep Back As Crowd Lights Up

Marijuana is still illegal in Canada, but you wouldn't have known it
at Queen's Park yesterday.

That smoky haze above the park just north of the Legislature was from
the thousands of people who sparked up joints as part of the Toronto
Freedom Festival and Global Marijuana March, "a celebration of all
things marijuana," as one organizer described it.

The park was jammed with tokers who gathered to make a collective case
for the legalization of pot, under the watch of Toronto police, who
ringed the periphery and herded some marchers through downtown
streets, but otherwise let the crowd blast off and didn't arrest anyone.

A police news release prior to the event said they expected a crowd of
10,000 to 12,000, which may have underestimated the actual attendance.
Officers at the scene didn't want to guess at the crowd size.

It was a spirited affair, but to call it a protest would be an
overstatement. The event was so laid-back that most of those who
jammed the park seemed unaware of the 2 p.m. march through the
downtown core.

Jay Cleary, one of the organizers of the bands that played throughout
the day, announced from the stage that "we're here to smoke our brains
out and have a good time," which prompted a smattering of applause.

He thanked the city for allowing the event, and police for tolerating
it, noting the festival has been held nine years in a row without any
arrests.

Most of the crowd appeared to be middle-class kids in their late teens
or early 20s. There was scarcely a burned-out hippie in the bunch.

Retailers peddling hemp products from tents were busy, but the food
vendors did a roaring business.

Inside the CALM (Cannabis as Living Medicine) tent, there were posters
of a smiling woman above the slogan, "I smoke responsibly. You can
too."

When asked how to smoke responsibly, a red-eyed guy behind a table
giggled and said, "Uh, you know, don't smoke and drive, I guess."

A gaggle of teenage girls were smoking a joint while walking along
Bloor St. "It's a nice day for a walk, and for once, I don't have to
sneak around to do it," one of them said.