[420 Girl]

On Saturday, May 1, approximately 1000 people showed their support for the reform of marijuana laws by marching through the streets with a police escort and attending an all day event at Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland, Oregon.

The event started at 10am, and the crowd swelled as the day progressed. At noon, the march began, with people shouting "2, 4, 6, 8...time to tax and regulate!" and "We're not criminals" and "Hey hey, ho ho, prohibition's got to go!" Portland Police and Transit Security did a terrific job controlling traffic, and many cars honked to show support. Scott Gordon, of Urbage Designs and Oregon NORML, educated the halted traffic on the need for reform by shouting out marijuana facts and information.

At Pioneer Courthouse Square, vendors sold their wares, including stepping stones engraved with marijuana leaves and clothing with various logos and prints. There were also informational booths for The Hemp and Cannabis Foundation (THFC), Oregon NORML and the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act (OCTA). Many bands performed for attendees, including Bad Habitat, Big Dub & J Mack and Unfit to Fly.

A few candidates running in the current elections also spoke on the issue of the need for marijuana reform, including Delia Lopez, U.S. Congressional Candidate, Richard Ellmyer, running for State Representative and Chris Henry, Green Party Candidate. In addition to the many other speakers, Madeline Martinez of Oregon NORML, Russ Belville, NORML Outreach Coordinator and Paul Stanford of THCF also spoke on legalization of marijuana and the current Oregon Cannabis Tax Act.

Petitioners for I-28 (the Regulated Medical Marijuana Supply System) and I-73 (the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act) collected many signatures for the two petitions attempting to reform Oregon's marijuana laws in the upcoming November ballot. In addition, other petitioners frequented the square collecting signatures on a variety of other issues.

Much of the news coverage of the event was overshadowed by the Immigration March that took place shortly after the Global Cannabis March concluded, with nearly 5000 people protesting against immigration laws. Many attendees to the Global Cannabis March stood along the road as the Immigration March passed by to show their support.

The day concluded happily with no reports or violence or arrests. View the slideshow for some of the day's highlights.


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