[420 Girl]

Harrisburg, PA - Protesters wearing sweatshirts emblazoned with a marijuana leaf lined the steps of the Capitol on Monday, advocating a change in Pennsylvania's marijuana laws.

More than 75 supporters of medicinal marijuana -- including several Penn State students - brandished signs asking local drivers to honk in support of legalization.

"We're at a point where this is not a political issue," said Jay Bundy, president of the Penn State branch of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). "It's an issue of justice, an issue of history and an issue of human suffering."

Bundy, a former Penn State student, didn't attend the rally, but said several students from Penn State did. Among them was Stacey Bullock (junior-political science), who thinks now is the time to legalize marijuana.

"This whole debate is taking place too late in my opinion," Bullock said. "Think about all the legal drugs that have side effects and health risks that are far worse when compared to those of smoking marijuana."

Supporters cited statistics showing that alcohol kills more people than illegal and legal drugs combined. They also emphasized that tobacco, unlike marijuana, is legal, addictive and kills more than 400,000 people annually, according to the American Lung Association.

Chuck Homan, a Harrisburg roofer who said he suffers from depression and bipolar disorder, organized the rally.

"I got addicted to my prescription pills, and the side effects of them were horrific," Homan said. "I also have two torn biceps from my job. There is a big difference between a 58-year-old using marijuana for pain and a 17-year-old smoking outside a movie theater."

Homan planned the rally on April 20, a day popularly recognized for marijuana use.

Those rallying promoted the drug's pain-relieving attributes and minimal health consequences.

Many of the people rallying were there to support family members that are dealing with cancer or psychological disorders such as depression.

There are currently 12 states that have passed bills legalizing medicinal marijuana, according to NORML's Web site. According to the American Medical Association, marijuana has very little medical value.

However, Bundy said he feels that marijuana should still be legalized for medical purposes -- it's a waste of time and money to fight it, he said.

"Our children and grandchildren will judge us by what we did and failed to do," he said. "There are too many of us aware of the truth to do nothing."


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