Global Marijuana/Cannabis March Meets Heavy-Handed Opposition
In Brazil, a spokesperson for www.marchadamaconha.org, organisers of the “Marcha da Maconha Brasil 2008″ had this to say on the situation facing the South American cannabis community.

“We are facing in Brazil too much repression against the march. From 10 cities that were confirmed for the march, the Justice prohibited 6 cities from taking part. As citizens of a democracy we are very disappointed”.

It was a similar story in Moscow, with the Military and Police blocking the way to the Friendship of Nations fountain at the All-Russia Exhibition Centre. The meeting place for the 2006 Global Marijuana March in Russia, organised once again by the Cannabis Legalize League (CLL), who were hoping not to have any injuries to treat this year.

[A spokesman for CLL said,] “We published an official statement on the CLL site, so that both authorities and activists could learn that no marches would be held in Moscow in 2008. We invited our supporters to come to the “Friendship of Nations” fountain at the All-Russia Exhibition Centre. We made it quite clear there should be no banners or other means of political propaganda: only thematic clothes, excellent mood and musical instruments.”

“As soon as the statement was published we received an aggressive reaction from the Federal Service of Drug Control (Russian DEA analog). In the interview to one of the most famous Russian news agencies the head of the informational department of the FSDC Alexander Mikhailov commented our action in the following expressions”:

“Legalization of cannabis as a drug is out of the question. This theme mustn’t be discussed at all. Such actions are the grossest breach of the peace and hooliganism. This is a spring exacerbation on which the bodies of internal affairs and psychiatrists should react”.

Full Story

Brazilian court bans march for marijuana legalization _English_Xinhua
RIO DE JANEIRO, April 30 (Xinhua) — A Brazilian court has banned a controversial demonstration in favor of the legalization of marijuana, local media reported Wednesday.

The so-called “the Global Marijuana March,” scheduled for Sunday in 10 Brazilian cities, is banned in Salvador, capital city of Bahia state in northeastern Brazil.

According to the prosecutors, the demonstration is likely to fuel controversy over marijuana smoking, currently forbidden by the Brazilian law.

The global march will also be held in 19 other countries.

Protesters said the court’s decision was “absurd,” and has violated their freedom of speech in a struggle for a change in legislation.

The demonstration was aimed at promoting public debate and research on the use of marijuana, they said.

The global march has caused security concerns in Brazil.

On April 21, five people were arrested in Rio for handing out leaflets to the public, inviting local citizens to take part.

Marijuana is so dangerous that now we can’t even talk about it?  This Brazilian court thinks that a few hundred people marching for cannabis law reform is dangerous, yet they have no problem with Carnaval, which certainly must be a bigger drain on law enforcement and definitely sends a certain message to the children, where hundreds of thousands gather in the streets at night to gawk at elaborate floats and near-naked women in extravagant outfits.