Queer n There	Queer n There Archive

Before the gay movement took off in America in the 60s, there had been many small, abortive efforts. Before the civil rights movement became fashionable, there were countless acts of resistance ending up with little to show. So does the star-studded 10th anniversary gala being thrown in LA by the Marijuana Policy Project on May 9th mean that opposition to America's disastrous War on Drugs has gained critical mass?

Hosting the party at the Sheraton Delfina Hotel in Santa Monica will be talk-show maven Montel Williams (who uses medical marijuana to treat symptoms of multiple sclerosis), and actors from Showtime's movie-musical Reefer Madness.

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It's a timely event, as hope is in the air that the US Supreme Court will rule this spring that the feds (who usually noisily bang the drum for "states' rights") can't arrest medical-marijuana patients whose activities are legal under state laws.

Honored at the gala will be Angel Raich, the noted activist, diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, and partly paralyzed until she started using marijuana. It's Angel's case the Supremes are now pondering. If she wins, every American-in-need whose state allows it will be able to get medical marijuana.

Also present will be actor Tommy Chong, who recently spent nine months in federal prison after being targeted by the US Justice Department for selling glassware that could be used to smoke pot. He was the only one of 55 defendants to do prison time as a result of "Operation Pipe Dreams," which used $12 million in tax dollars shortly after the 9/11 attacks to chase internet sales of water pipes.

So show up at MPP's fundraiser if you can, or browse to www.mpp.org to join the cause or find out more. Or write MPP, PO Box 77492, Washington, DC 20013 USA.