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Million Marijuana March?

Gearing Up For This Year's Million Marijuana March

Culture

Million Marijuana March?

It’s May Day, a time to celebrate the renewal of spring and remember the workers who fought and died for an eight-hour work day. For millions of marijuana users around the globe, May also means gearing up for the Million Marijuana March.

In fact, the first American May Day story brings us back all the way to the late 1600s, when wonderful weirdos of all stripes stuck it the stick-in-the-mud Puritans. So really, celebrating the counter-cultural tradition of cannabis at the beginning of May makes a lot of sense.

The Million Marijuana March is exactly one of those traditions. Also called the Global Marijuana March, the annual rally is one of human civilization’s only celebrations to be held simultaneously at different locations across the globe. And it’s all for cannabis!

While a massive mobilization in the streets is the most prominent feature of the Million Marijuana march, many other cannabis-related events are in the works. From marches and meetings to raves and rallies and concerts, there’s no end to the variety of cannabis-experiences these festivities can offer.

So depending on where you’re at next Saturday, May 7th, make sure you’re ready for an earth-shaking cannabis experience with the hundreds of thousands of folks who’ve joined up with the march in over 829 different cities in 72 countries since 1999!

New York City

The New York City Cannabis Parade is one of the flagship events for the Million Marijuana March in the United States.

Actually, NYC’s Cannabis Parade began as an act of resistance. Marchers were fed up with the racist police crackdown on minor marijuana possession and use charges, and wanted to take back the streets for cannabis.

Today, the Parade is still advocating for legal recreational cannabis in New York, where so far only medical has been legalized for a limited number of diseases and conditions.

One of the best stories about the NYC Cannabis Parade takes us back to 2009, when Dana Beal, one of the original founders of the Million Marijuana March and the event organizer, along with a few others were on their way back from the NORML Conference in San Francisco.

They got pulled over by a suspicious cop, and all three men were charged with possession with intent to distribute and possession with intent to deliver. They were hauling 150 lbs. of cannabis to the Parade headquarters. That much weed would make for a great party!

Gearing Up For This Year's Million Marijuana March

Photo AP Bob Chamberlin

Los Angeles Million Marijuana March

The Los Angeles Million Marijuana March has been running for 18 years at Leimert Park in Los Angeles, California. Leimert Park is one of the most famous “free speech” areas in the country.

In LA, the Million Marijuana March also honors jailed freedom fighters like Eddy Lepp. In 2011, Lepp called in live to the audience from Federal prison, where he was doing time – 10 years – for the cultivation of marijuana.

This global cannabis rally brings attention to the victims of the War on Drugs and spreads a positive, encouraging message about cannabis culture. The Global Marijuana March is a celebration embracing cannabis as a personal lifestyle choice.

So why not start a Million Marijuana March in your city? Get together to celebrate, discuss, promote, entertain and educate both consumers and non-consumers alike.

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