[420 Girl]

It's the largest club at the University of Victoria and its 400 members are taking action against proposed legislation to toughen up on drugs.

The goal of Hempology 101 Society is legalization of cannabis through education, said club leader Kristen Mann.

"It's a safer recreational choice (than alcohol) for the kids to be using," she said. "It's an excellent raw material for everything from food to fiber."

On Sept. 9, the society celebrates its 14th anniversary with a march to the legislature to protest bill C-15.

The bill aims to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act by introducing minimum penalties for serious drug offences and increasing maximum penalties for cannabis production. It was introduced in, and died with, the last legislative sitting.

On June 8 the bill received its second reading; 195 members of Parliament voted in favour (including Saanich MP Gary Lunn) and 54 voted against the bill (including Victoria MP Denise Savoie).

Mann, a self-described marijuana user, objects to the heavier penalties prescribed in the bill.

"All that does is take (it) out of the hands of the judicial system and put it into the political system," Mann said. "(Marijuana) is not harmful to someone's health."

The group is hoping that local members of Parliament will speak at the rally. It will meet at 7 p.m. Sept. 9 at Victoria City Hall and end up the legislature by 7:30 p.m.

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