Friends of Cannabis Rally for Legalization

BOSTON-An estimated crowd of 40,000 gathered on the lawns of the Boston Common Saturday in the 8th Annual Freedom Rally, a celebration of marijuana popularly known as the "Hemp Festival."

While last year's rally saw a sole arrest for the sale of narcotics, the Boston Globe reported that at least 150 participants were arrested on charges of drug possession this year.

According to park officials, a minor clash broke out between the crowd and law enforcement officers at the beginning of the rally around noon.

A park ranger, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the defiant crowd turned on a police officer at one point. The park ranger pitched in to help, only to be "tackled and spit [on] by the crowd."

The park ranger said that an assembly of this kind was a "public safety hazard," adding that at least a few dozen phone calls to Emergency Medical Services were placed earlier during the day.

Maddy Webster, the chair of the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition, which organized the festival, said that there was a "heavy presence of NARCs"-undercover narcotics agents-and the crowd was actively "outing them."

Boston Police Officer James Hawkins, who checked entrants' bags throughout the afternoon, made it clear that either selling or possessing marijuana is illegal. "The police [are] here to enforce the laws," he said.

A stroll through the park, however, revealed that the law enforcement was half-hearted at best. Participants of the rally were seen liberally sharing joints.

One, who identified herself as a college first-year, said, "Just ask anybody. Everybody's cool here."

Another participant, who runs a gardening landscape business, agreed. "We are not selling we're sharing," he said. "There's no legal liability for sharing."

While there was no stated policy to overlook individual smokers, a police officer pointed out that law enforcement officials were greatly outnumbered.

"There's not enough [police] to detain and book that amount of people," he said.

Webster claimed that the city of

Boston attempted to Block the rally.

"They would delay permits, not answer phone calls, and do all other kinds of things," she said.

According to the Globe, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino's administration initially sought a number of restrictions, including limiting the attendance to 10,000. The Suffolk Superior Court, however, turned down Menino's move on Wednesday, citing freedom of speech as the reason for the ruling.

One of the approximately 200 police officers stationed at the park jokingly commented on the ruling. "These are some fine questions for fellas at the Harvard Law School to litigate on."

While hard-core advocates of marijuana legalization confronted Boston city officials, most youngsters at the festival were content to enjoy themselves, attending a free concert and, yes, smoking a lot of pot.

A junior at UMass-Boston, who called himself Errol Flynn, remarked, "We're basically here to chill."

"I don't smoke weed," said Jason Toy, a Boston University first-year student. "We're just here to enjoy the last days of summer.

Boston attempted to Block the rally.

"They would delay permits, not answer phone calls, and do all other kinds of things," she said.

According to the Globe, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino's administration initially sought a number of restrictions, including limiting the attendance to 10,000. The Suffolk Superior Court, however, turned down Menino's move on Wednesday, citing freedom of speech as the reason for the ruling.

One of the approximately 200 police officers stationed at the park jokingly commented on the ruling. "These are some fine questions for fellas at the Harvard Law School to litigate on."

While hard-core advocates of marijuana legalization confronted Boston city officials, most youngsters at the festival were content to enjoy themselves, attending a free concert and, yes, smoking a lot of pot.

A junior at UMass-Boston, who called himself Errol Flynn, remarked, "We're basically here to chill."

"I don't smoke weed," said Jason Toy, a Boston University first-year student. "We're just here to enjoy the last days of summer.