It's not always sunny in Philadelphia, but it sure is getting a whole lot greener. The only four-hour break in the past week of rainy weather seemed to happen just in time for PhillyNORML’s Marijuana March on May 2.

On any given weekend there are thousands of tourists and locals on the sidewalks of South St. It's the center of the Philadelphia’s art, music, food and beer cultures, all contained in colorful storefronts. 

During the march, supporters of medical marijuana, decriminalization and marijuana legalization walked in the middle of South St. behind an obliging police escort. At 4:20 pm, Derek Rosenzweig, Rob Dougherty and yours truly of PhillyNORML began the march, and the crowd (estimated at over 500) swelled with each passing block.

Residents opened windows and cheered from balconies. Patrons spilled onto the streets from restaurants and shops. Thousands cheered us as we held our signs up high and that familiar and sweet smell emanated from the area.

A most welcome addition was Rob Robinson, who runs the annual New York Harvest Festival. The seasoned activist,  in town for The Dead shows at the Spectrum, got the crowd chanting and cheering.

The marchers turned the corner of 2 St. to the historic brick pavilion known appropriately as HeadHouse Square, where they heard speeches, and PhillyNORML and the Coalition for Medical Marijuana in New Jersey set up tables to educate the crowd.

There were no arrests made, which is a tribute to the participants and the police. Indeed, the authorities thanked us for being so well organized and well behaved.

PhillyNORML’s 2009 WWMM showed that the city where our nation was formed is squarely behind ending marijuana prohibition. What better place to find liberty for cannabis?

Blog by Chris Goldstein • This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Chris Goldstein hosts Active Voice Radio

Pix by C. David Freitag

Also see:

More WWMM Reports

More Blogs by Chris Goldstein

More CelebStoner Blogs

Comments (5)

5 Wednesday, 05 August 2009 19:26

one time

Well philly used to be in the top markets i am soory for you but the dea crackdown in 04-o7 got a lot of good men sd times for philly

4 Tuesday, 28 July 2009 23:39

DRF-W

Not looking in the right plaaaaaaces!

:D

3 Wednesday, 08 July 2009 18:50

j davis

I have never lived in a city where good weed is so hard to find. Philadelphia is just bizarre in that respect. All I have been able to find in 2 years is brown schwag which isn't worth the effort.

2 Thursday, 04 June 2009 17:34

Lila

Lol i don't think any type of rally could be more peaceful (or well behaved as it was put) than a marijuana legalization march. =) I really hope they decide to legalize it, I really don't see why people say it is so terrible...

1 Thursday, 07 May 2009 09:09

Common Sense

Did we not learn anything from alcohol prohibition?
Marijuana prohibition has been an indisputable failure. Legalize it and take the money out of the black market. Marijuana is less dangerous than either alcohol or tobacco yet both of those substances are legal (and should be). Every year our prison system releases violent offenders to make room for non-violent pot smokers. That is just plain insanity. Think of how better society would be served if our law enforcement efforts were directed more towards dealing with violent individuals. We would also save BILLIONS of dollars on prosecution costs and jail expenses every year.
There is also substantial evidence indicating marijuana has numerous medical uses as well.
This is a plant, legalize it and regulate it. We need to look at this issue using nothing more than basic common sense. Isn't it time to drop the "Reefer Madness" stupidity?

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