Pubdate: Mon, 21 Apr 2014 Source: Record, The (Kitchener, CN ON) Copyright: 2014 Metroland Media Group Ltd. Contact: http://www.therecord.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/225 Author: Greg Mercer Note: With files from Canadian Press. POT PROTEST HOPES TO SWAY POLICY MAKERS Few People Openly Smoke As Locals Take Part In Pro-marijuana Demonstration KITCHENER - They came, they listened to loud music, they played hacky-sack. A pro-marijuana rally in front of Kitchener's City Hall marking 4/20, cannabis culture's annual day of celebration, felt like more of an afternoon hang-out than a political demonstration Sunday. "Some people celebrate Easter, we have 4/20. This is our holiday," said 18-year-old John Angus of Cambridge, who brought his giant glass bong to the rally. He was warned by two police officers surveying the dispersed crowd not to use it in front of them. "They said, "It's still against the law,' and I said 'Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.'" Rally organizer Josh Laurett, of Kitchener, said marijuana's prohibition is outdated. He said pot has proven medicinal benefits and most users smoke it regardless of the laws, anyway. "I'm doing this to show the city officials we are here, and we won't stop. We are going to smoke it whether it's illegal or not," he said. "It's a peaceful protest, and we have the right to protest any law that you think is unfair." Few people smoked out in the open, but the occasional whiff of pot drifted through the crowd. The Kitchener rally was held in conjunction with pro-marijuana demonstrations around the country Sunday, as pot laws continue to evolve across Canada and the U.S. The prime minister's office says it will not decriminalize marijuana. But Bob Jones, a 65year-old activist who lives near Mount Forest, thinks politicians will see the economic benefits and want to change the laws, and soon. He'd like to see pot sold in government-run stores, much like Liquor Control Board of Ontario. "It should be completely legalized," he said. "You can buy alcohol, can't you? You can buy cigarettes. What's the difference?" This month, Ottawa made it legal for licensed companies to grow and ship medical marijuana to their patients, and illegal for patients to grow their own. That change is drawing new companies into a government-approved medical pot industry some think could be worth as much as $1.2 billion in a decade. Meanwhile, some of Canada's roughly 40,000 medical marijuana users are challenging those new laws in court. A federal court has given users a temporary reprieve, allowing them to grow small amounts of marijuana on their own property until the trial is resolved. "I don't like that they're trying to make it harder for people to access it," Laurett said. Jones argued the change to the laws only benefit the companies producing the marijuana, and not the people with a prescription. In the U.S., where 20 states allow medical marijuana and Washington and Colorado permit recreational marijuana, legal pot will be an estimated $2.5-billion industry by the end of the year. In Colorado, recreational marijuana brought in more than $7 million in tax revenue in the first two months of this year. Anti-prohibition activist Jodie Emery says recent legalization in two U.S. states has opened the eyes of governments and businesses to the financial benefits of a legal trade in marijuana. And she says that has given the annual 420 rallies - which have now gone global - a renewed emphasis on influencing government policy. As Emery puts it, "we've won over the Man and the establishment." - - With files from Canadian Press. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D