Boston, MA: Fifty thousand people are expected to attend MassCann/NORML’s 14th Annual Freedom Rally on Saturday, September 20 on the Boston Common. The theme of the event this year is “Fight Terrorism, End Marijuana Prohibition.”
Recent studies written by Jeffrey Miron, Ph.D., Professor of Economics at Boston University have determined that decriminalizing marijuana in Massachusetts would produce an annual savings in law enforcement resources of $24.3 million, and that legalizing marijuana would save Massachusetts $120.6 million per year, and would yield at least $16.9 million in tax revenue each year.
Steve Epstein, a founder and officer of MassCann/NORML, says these studies “make clear what we have been arguing for years. If we treat marijuana like alcohol, we would free law enforcement to perform other tasks and generate revenue for public safety, education, and other core government functions.”
Speakers at the Boston Freedom Rally will include nationally recognized cultivation expert Ed Rosenthal, who was recently prosecuted federally for providing medical marijuana for patients in California; Keith Stroup, founder and executive director of NORML, the lobby for responsible marijuana smokers in America; Gary Nolan, a candidate for nomination of the Libertarian party for president; and Darrell Rogers, head of Students for Sensible Drug Policy.
Top regional bands, including several winners of the 2003 Boston Music Awards, will perform at the rally, including Scissorfight; Spookie Daly Pride; The Dresden Dolls; and Waltham. Other activities will include a hemp fashion show and a Hemposium, where people can learn about the many uses of industrial hemp.
For more information, contact MassCann/NORML’s Bill Downing at 781-944-2266.