Demonstrators descended on the state capitol rotunda Wednesday thrusting fists and signs into the air with chants of “yes, we cannabis!”
For two hours, the hallways echoed with the voices of cops, writers, pols, and lawyers invited by Minnesota NORML, which lobbies for marijuana reform. They rubbed elbows with both jean jackets and blazers, showing the disparate makeup of a group that is often typecast and dismissed as burnouts.
“This movement is about people who like drugs, people who hate drugs, and people who just don’t give a damn about drugs,” says Neill Franklin, a former narcotics officer, from the podium. “It’s about everyone who is concerned about cannabis prohibition in the United States today.”
In the crowd, Grassroots Party founder Oliver Steinberg smiles when asked about how pot reform has gone mainstream. He attended his first demonstration back in the early 90s with some of the same people who showed up here.
“The only difference now are those cameras,” he says, pointing to the TV crews.
Read the entire story over at the Minneapolis City Pages.