Hundreds of people from all walks of life participated in the East Coast Cannabis Coalition's N.J. Cannabis Freedom Rally in Trenton today, demanding the legalization of marijuana in the state.
TRENTON -- Hundreds of people from all walks of life participated in the East Coast Cannabis Coalition's N.J. Cannabis Freedom Rally in Trenton Saturday, demanding the legalization of marijuana in the state.
Participants gathered at Trenton's City Hall and marched down State Street, then rallied at the State House at 3 p.m.
According to the ECCC, the organization is "launching a statewide campaign to legalize cannabis at the municipal level by presenting information on how New Jerseyans can introduce ballot resolutions legalizing small amounts of cannabis to their local city councils. The campaign is based on a recent marijuana legalization resolution adopted in Asbury Park by the local government. Organizers have already presented similar initiatives in Trenton and Camden and hope to spread the campaign to Newark, Paterson, Atlantic City, and New Brunswick. In addition to the municipal legalization campaign, activists are also calling for Governor Christie to sign Assembly Bill 4587, which would require schools to establish rules that would allow students with developmental disabilities to consume edible cannabis on school property."
Today's rally championed both initiatives.
"We're very happy that so many people came out," said Vanessa Maria, the director and founder of the ECCC. "Each time we do a rally, more and more people come out, which shows how far we've come. We have people here from all walks of life -- parents, medical patients, people of color; all sorts of people are here. We're becoming a more powerful voice."
The rally featured speeches by numerous well-known marijuana activists, including Ed "NJ Weedman" Forchion, Maria, and many others.
"We've learned so much from him," Maria said of Forchion. "He's the face of our movement."
Many other organizations (Coalition for Medical Marijuana - New Jersey, Legalize Marijuana Party, Green Party of North Jersey, New Jersey Libertarian Party, New Jersey Grannies for Grass, Students for Sensible Drug Policy - TCNJ, NORML New Jersey Women's Alliance, Pittsburgh NORML Women's Alliance, Pittsburgh NORML, Ramapo College NORML, Parents 4 Pot Pennsylvania, People's Smokeout - NYC, The National Cannabis Patients Wall, The Human Solution, Maryland NORML, and Delaware NORML) were also on hand.
"Many other organizations share our goals," said Maria. "We're all hoping to educate people about cannabis and inspire them to take action. We're really excited about all of this. We're hoping to see progress soon."
Rich Cuccagna may be reached at rcuccagna@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RichCuccagna. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.