Twentieth Anniversary Boston Freedom Rally Celebrates Marijuana and De-Criminalization

Supporters of the re-legalization of marijuana and relaxation of drug laws that make it illegal to smoke pot in public, held a joyful rally on the Boston Common on Saturday.

This year’s Freedom Rally and Hemp Fest – hosted by the Georgetown, MA based Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition (MASS-CANN) marked the 20th year that marijuana proponents have celebrated their love for the “buzz” inducing plant and demanded changes in local, state, and federal laws governing its use.

The Rally on Saturday also was the first since the passage of last November’s Proposition 2: in which citizens across Massachusetts voted to make possession of less than an ounce of marijuana a civil offense with a punishment of a $100 fine rather than a criminal offense carrying jail time up to six months.

Smoking in public is still illegal but many festival participants – as is the twenty year tradition – lit up anyway.

According to the Boston Police Media Relations Department, 136 civil citations for marijuana possession were handed out and 3 people were arrested.

Officers also were observed videotaping people in the crowd. But a question put to the Boston Police Department on how this videotaped media would be stored and used by police went unanswered today.

OMB Audio: Audio Producer Chuck U. Rosina of WMBR Radio and the Boston Community Reporters Project prepared the following story about the Freedom Rally.