Call to Action: 16th Annual Global Cannabis March & Rally (Saturday, May 2, 2015 – 11am-5:30pm – Pioneer Courthouse Square, Portland – Featuring Mack & Dub & the Smokin’ Section, The Sindicate, Mad Dabber & Bad Habitat. Sponsored by CRRH, KBOO Community Radio & Oregon NORML)
On Saturday, May 2, nearly 300 cities worldwide, including Portland, will participate in the 16th annual Global Cannabis March. Portland participants will gather in Pioneer Courthouse Square for a rally that begins at 11:00am, with a scheduled cannabis freedom march beginning at 4pm through downtown Portland, accompanied by a police escort.
Musicians Mack & Dub and the Smokin’ Section, The Sindicate, Mad Dabber, Bad Habitat and Pass Margo have joined the lineup for the rally as well as many guest speakers and non-profit organization booths.
Last year, Keynote speaker, Oregon Congressmen Earl Blumenauer said the U.S. government should “re-appraise what can be only described as a failed war on drugs,” and discussed the importance of medical research on the effects of marijuana. “We have to a do a better job of breaking the stranglehold of this pernicious classification,” Blumenauer said in regard to the Schedule I status of Marijuana/Cannabis according to the federal government. “That’s like saying it is the same as Heroin, or LSD.”
This year, we are honored to have Representative Lew Frederick, a Democrat from District 43 in Portland, as our Keynote speaker. Rep. Frederick has submitted House Bill 3372, legislation that would expunge all nonviolent, marijuana related convictions from Oregon residents. The historic bill, if passed, would send a signal that Oregonians support a comprehensive, pragmatic, moral, and sensible reform to drug policy. He will be speaking directly after the march.
The rally cry for the event is the protection of our civil liberty and the need to end discrimination against cannabis consumers. Even after Measure 91 goes into effect, one can still lose their job, housing, doctor, children and student benefits. Education is still important, as many people won’t understand the nuances of Measure 91 and some will continue to go to jail. Remember, Measure 91 was not a legalization initiative; it was simply a decriminalization initiative, now law.
Oregon taxpayers spend $30,000 per year to incarcerate each of our state’s 200 citizens who are locked up for nonviolent marijuana convictions, according to data supplied via The Bus Project. Despite the passage of Measure 91, we still have a long way to go in the fight to end the senseless war on cannabis. According to The Human Solution International, a grassroots organization marching this year, the single most important thing you can do to help end prohibition is take action.
Reasons to participate in the march & rally include:
Support House Bill 3372, the bill to expunge all nonviolent, marijuana related convictions from Oregon residents.
Protect the OMMP and continuing the fight for patient rights and access to medicine.
Prevent of over-regulation of marijuana under M91 by the OLCC that could hinder, rather than aid, the creation, regulation and stabilization of legal marijuana related businesses.
No Federal Scheduling – Removal of Cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act. It is time for the federal government to remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act.
Write your Representative to support Measure 91 Implementation & House Bill 3372! We will have a postcard and letter writing campaign to our elected officials.
Networking with Other Local Groups – Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp (CRRH), The Human Solution International, Parents 4 Pot , Students for Sensible Drug Policy Portland State (SSDP), Portland NORML, National Cannabis Coalition and more!
Come down and join us in the march for freedom. To continue tradition, a bio-diesel bus has confirmed they will be offering free rides along the march route to the disabled. The bus will be parked nearby the Pioneer Square for boarding. There will also be ASL interpreters for the hearing impaired. Come out and have your voice heard!
Who: Nearly three hundred cities worldwide, including Portland, Oregon, will participate in the annual Global Cannabis March.
What: 16th Annual Global Cannabis March
When: Saturday, May 2nd – 11:00am-5:30pm (March at 4pm!)
Where: Pioneer Courthouse Square – 701 SW 6th Avenue, Portland, OR 97204
Why: To bring an end the failed war on cannabis!
Event Schedule: (Emcee Urb Thrasher)
11:00-11:10am – Opening Ceremony (Roots/Joel) – Dedicated to Melodie Silverwolf, Jim Greig & Jim Klahr
11:10-11:40am – Band – Pass Margo
11:45-11:50am – Brian the Red, Activist
11:50-11:55am – Brandon Krenzler, Erin Purchase, Brave Mykayla
11:55-12:00pm – Charlie Bott, Activist
12:00-12:35pm – Band – Mad Dabber
12:35-12:40pm – Lindsey Rinehart, Activist
12:40-12:45pm – Jared Allaway, SAFER Shirts
12:45-12:50pm – Russ Belville, Portland NORML
12:50-12:55pm – John Lucy IV, Attorney
12:55-1:00pm – Kristin Flor, The Human Solution International
1:00-1:35pm – Band – John Cornett & Friends
1:35-1:40pm – Ray Christl, Activist
1:40-1:45pm – Anna Diaz, Parents 4 Pot
1:45-1:50pm – Don Skakie, Real Legalization Washington
1:50-1:55pm – Madeline Martinez, Activist
1:55-2:00pm – Casper Leitch, Activist
2:00-2:35pm – Band – The Sindicate
2:40-2:45pm – Romain Bonilla, Students for Sensible Drug Policy SSDP/ PDX
2:45-2:50pm –
2:50-2:55pm – “Epic” Eric Lewallen, CRRH
2:55-3:00pm – Nickie Gates, Activist
3:00-3:35pm – Band – Mack & Dub and the Smokin’ Section
3:40-3:45pm – Bonnie King, Salem-News
3:45-3:50pm – Paul Loney, Attorney
3:50-3:55pm – Leland Berger, Attorney
3:55-4:00pm – Paul Stanford, Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp
4:00-4:40pm – Police Escorted March Through Portland
4:45-4:55pm – Keynote Address Rep. Lew Frederick, District 43 (Sponsor of HB 3372, the bill to expunge records and free non-violent cannabis prisoners in Oregon)
4:55-5:00pm – Kimberly McCullough, Oregon ACLU Legislative Director
5:00-5:05pm – Larry Kirk
5:05-5:35pm – Band – Bad Habitat
5:30-5:40pm – Closing Ceremony
