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Legalise Cannabis Festival 2002- The Battle Continues

Author: Jonty Adderley
Monday, May 6, 2002
Over 20,000 people are expected to attend this year's Legalise Cannabis Festival, which takes place in Brixton's Brockwell Park this Saturday afternoon from 2pm (May 4th). Despite Government suggestions that they'll shortly be reclassifying the drug's legal status from class B to Class C, campaigners insist the fight is far from over.

"It's very naïve to say that the battle's been won and it really annoys me when people instigate that suggestion," Festival organiser Hugo Farmer told Skrufff this week.

"We're going to continue fighting until you're able to go into a shop and buy a packet of 20 spliffs. We want it to be readily available for people who want it, whereas at the moment, you still need to know a supplier to get it."

While last year's event was marred by fierce almost torrential rain, this year's forecast is for "fine" conditions, he said, though all stages will be properly covered. The event itself features a vast array of stages, sound systems and stalls, with most style of dance music covered. Local police, who in recent months have been instigating their own softly softly approach to cannabis use, are also likely to remain tolerant, said Hugo.

"Their basic position is, if somebody is blatantly taking the piss, eg if some guy's walking down the middle of the road puffing on a huge bong, then obviously they're going to say something to him," he said.

"They will not arrest that person, I think their stand will be to ask a steward to go and tell him to be less blatant, and if he continues then they might do something about it. Last year we didn't have any arrests at all."

http://www.cannabiscoalition.org (Full music line-ups plus details of the march, which leaves Oval earlier)
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