MILLION MARIJUANA MARCH OBSERVED IN PADUCAH GATHERING

Rally Seeks Legalized Medical Use

Marijuana is a daily part of Cindy Wimer's life, just like the prescription
medicines she takes for multiple sclerosis.

"I've got to use the medical cannabis because I've got MS symptoms," said
Wimer, who is confined to a wheelchair. "Some days I can't even get out of
bed, and it's not going to get any better. If it weren't for the cannabis,
I couldn't do half of the things I do."

Wimer joined about 50 other people Saturday at Dolly McNutt Plaza to
participate in the Million Marijuana March, a worldwide event aimed at
promoting the legalization of marijuana.

Medicinal use of marijuana is illegal in Kentucky, but Illinois, 25 other
states and the District of Columbia do have laws and resolutions
establishing therapeutic research programs, allowing doctors to prescribe
marijuana or asking the federal government to lift the ban on medical use.
Federal law has prohibited the use of marijuana since 1937.

Marijuana legalization supporter Gatewood Galbraith, who has lost three
Kentucky gubernatorial campaigns, spoke to the crowd during a live remote
broadcast of his Lexington radio show.

"We came down to Paducah today because we're sick and tired of being
treated like second-class citizens," Galbraith said as spectators cheered
and yelled, "Way to go, Gatewood."

"They're professionals, they're students, they're retired, they're
disabled, and they hold jobs. They're normal citizens. This is the best
beneficial plant God has given us on the green Earth. It's kept people like
me from drinking alcohol for the last 28 years," Galbraith said.

Galbraith said he is going to present an informational packet on the
benefits of marijuana to all Kentucky legislators this year. "Once they get
the packets, if they still say they are ignorant about it, then we're going
to actively elect people to replace them," he said.

Organizer Cher Ford-McCullough of Gilbertsville, state director of the
American Alliance for Medical Cannabis, said almost 300 cities around the
world were participating in the Million Marijuana March on Saturday.

"We're just people who come out to support marijuana," she said. "There are
not many people who actually use it, but they support it. We want to
educate and enlighten the public about the fact the drug war is destroying
our society. It's just crazy."

Ford-McCullough said people from Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan attended
Paducah's rally. Wimer, who met Ford-McCullough through the Internet, came
from Parkersburg, W.Va.

"It was a 10-hour drive, but I think it was worth it," Wimer said. "I think
most people don't understand (marijuana). I think they think we're just
doing it for fun. But if you put people in a room drinking and people in a
room smoking, who will end up fighting and killing somebody with a DUI?"

Wimer said she realizes the risks involved in smoking marijuana, even if it
is for medical purposes.

"I've been busted once. I was very fortunate I didn't get a fine or
anything. But I have to have it. God gave it to us. I have to take all
these man-made chemicals, and I don't want to."