Drug Rallies Duel, Diverge, Have Their Way Crowd Backing Legal Marijuana Outdraws Anti-Drug Gathering

It was a beautiful day for a rally, so thousands of people gathered Saturday on the Boston Common to call for the legalization of marijuana.

Just a few blocks away from the scent of marijuana hanging in the air, a few hundred people showed up for the 11th annual Just Say No to Drugs Day.

Police said about 50,000 people attended the Freedom Rally on the Common, where people openly smoked marijuana. About 60 extra officers were on patrol but only one arrest was reported, of someone who sold the drug.

Bands played and radio stations served as co-sponsors. Speakers included university professors, musicians, a former city councilor and politicians from the Libertarian party.

Across town along the Charles River, there were fewer than 500 people at the anti-drug rally. Organizers scheduled a race, face painting for children and a softball game.

“This is a family-oriented event,” said Dean Lefebvre, president of Sober Day Say No to Drugs Inc. “We like to keep it calm. The main point is to show that people can have a good time without getting loaded.”

“The fact that … people can meet on Boston Common to try to legalize pot makes me ask, ‘Where’s our government?”’ said Richard Arruda, a recovering heroin addict working as a volunteer at the anti-drug assembly.

“It’s a joke. How can anyone be in control of a substance that alters your mind?” Arruda asked.

Responded Eric Hipp, a musician and bartender and an organizer of the seventh annual Freedom Rally: “The ‘Just Say No to Drugs” campaign has done more harm to the country than good, but we’re not about advocating drug use. We’re trying to educate people about the uses of the drug.”

At the anti-drug gathering, another volunteer, Corey Fitz-Rogers, said marijuana was a “gateway drug” that leads to worse things.