Supporters of the legalization of marijuana gather in Amherst to celebrate the 20th annual Extravaganja festival.
Nearly 2,000 people gathered in the heart of Amherst Saturday to rally for the legalization of marijuana. Thousands of people who support the legalization of marijuana gathered in Amherst to celebrate the 20th annual Extravaganja festival.
This was the first time in the festival’s history that the event was held for two continuous days which was meant to raise awareness on the issues of legalizing marijuana. The festivities were surrounded by music, guest speakers, vendors and supporters of the legalization movement.
The two-day festival ended on Sunday evening with no arrests made. Although the police were tolerant of people smoking marijuana only on the town commons, a total of 17 citations were issued for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana.
This is what some of our readers had to say about this weekend’s festival:
Masslivepers says: This is a perfect example of the outlandish, free for all, liberal ideas that exist in this state. In a conservative state, all would be arrested. There had to be a lot of pot there and I'm sure there were plenty of other illegal drugs. The state police did nothing. The local police did nothing. Isn't that what happened in some states before the civil rights laws were passed?
Notindahood says: Pretty much makes the Amherst Police Department look like a joke. "Hey guys, you can break the law within the designated law-breaking quadrangle. But nowhere else, okay?!" It's straight out of South Park.
And the State Police don't look much better. They should have intervened and enforced the Mass General Laws that the Amherst Police can't. It is not the place of law *enforcement* to single-handedly decide, in advance, which laws to enforce. That's not discretion. That's putting your personal beliefs above the law. It's an abuse of power.
joe says: Sensible marijuana laws are the way to go. The world is changing and views of marijuana are changing too. That is why such an event like this is going on, because it started out as a small event and now has proved it can for the most part responsibly go on as a good festival to support certain peoples views on marijuana.
rrudd says: Sense and sensibility is all it takes to wade through this swamp of nonsense. A few tokes on a joint ain't going to breed some wild-eyed drug-crazed monster. Pot is not the evil weed of your grandparents' nightmares. Pot is just pot. It ain't no big deal. Give it a break, for crying out loud.
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