Pubdate: Mon, 27 Sep 2004
Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (AR)
Copyright: 2004 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.ardemgaz.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/25
Author: Debra Hale-Shelton
Cited: Arkansas Marijuana Party http://arkansas.usmjparty.com/
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)

BACKERS OF 'POT' TO RALLY IN PARK

Medical Use Focus of Legalization Bid

Rex Petty says it's a shame that "a bunch of old hillbillies" are having to 
do what he believes the state Legislature should be doing: working to 
legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

So, for anyone who thought the effort died when supporters failed to get 
enough signatures on petitions to put the proposal on the Arkansas ballot 
in November, Petty says, "The situation ain't going to go away."

Petty, a rock mason from Atkins, and other members of the Arkansas 
Marijuana Party are planning a rally on the banks of the Arkansas River at 
the Old Post Road Park in Russellville to raise awareness of the issue.

Petty said the party has about 100 members.

There will be bands, speeches and maybe refreshments (of the legal sort) 
during a six-hour, free-admission rally starting at 4 p.m. Oct. 23. Petty, 
the state party's platform chairman, will play bass when his five-member 
band Feedback performs.

The petition drive fell just over 12,000 signatures short of the required 
64,456 to qualify for the Nov. 2 ballot.

When so many Arkansans want the law changed, it shouldn't be left to 
"hillbillies out in the backwoods of Arkansas," Petty said in an interview 
Friday.

He hopes the Legislature "has the good sense to do the right thing" but he 
isn't confident, because it "just doesn't have the political guts to do it."

At 47, Petty, who has run unsuccessfully for Congress and justice of the 
peace, doesn't pull any punches about his own marijuana use.

"I've been a pot smoker for 30 years," he said.

"I'm a healthy person; I can't claim medical marijuana for myself."

Petty acknowledged his party believes in the full legalization of marijuana 
but said the rally, sponsored by the party's Pope County chapter, will 
focus on legalization for medical needs.

Larry Page, executive director of the Arkansas Faith and Ethics Council, 
called smoking marijuana for medical purposes "an ill-advised medical policy."

"It's not about not wanting people who are suffering to get relief from 
pain," Page said.

Rather, he said, it's a medical and law-enforcement issue. A marijuana 
cigarette has four times the tar of a traditional cigarette, Page said. 
Further, when police arrest people for growing marijuana in California now, 
he said, the suspects often claim it's for medical uses even if it's not.

Page noted Marinol, a synthetic form of an ingredient in marijuana, already 
is legally available. He contends it provides the same medical benefits as 
marijuana -- a view not everyone accepts.

Clinical Preventive Medicine, an American Medical Association book released 
this year, says the carcinogens in a marijuana cigarette are much stronger 
than those in tobacco.

The AMA's most-recent policy statement on the issue, in 2001, recommends 
marijuana remain illegal. The AMA confirmed Friday that it still did not 
endorse the use of medical marijuana.

The policy statement, however, supports further well-controlled research to 
determine the drug's medical effectiveness and the development of a 
smoke-free inhaled delivery system.

Rally organizers have obtained the required special-event permit to have 
their event on federal property in Russellville.

"This permit does not mean we endorse the event or its subject matter," 
said P.J. Spaul, spokesman for the Little Rock district of the U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers.

Spaul said rally organizers must ensure participants comply with applicable 
laws and regulations. Petty said the party has invited Pope County Sheriff 
Jay Winters to monitor the event.

Other conditions include not disturbing other park users with excessively 
loud music. Petty said the group also could not "talk politics in the 
normal sense" during the rally. Further, "We can't make money."

That said, the party may sell a few T-shirts with its emblem, contact 
information and the words "Just Say Know," as in "increase your knowledge" 
about medical marijuana. "If we sell enough T-shirts to break even, we'll 
be very, very lucky," Petty said.

Petty isn't expecting a huge crowd.

"If we find 100 people who have the guts to show up, we'll be surprised," 
he said. "We know we have support, but you say 'marijuana,' and people duck 
under the covers and hide." 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake