Every year, for the past 37 years, there has been a "Smoke Out" to support the legalization of marijauna.

Here are some photos of that event and well as some entanglment with law enforcement.

I didn't get an interview on this July 4th, 2006 event, nor was I able to reach anyone from the organization who put on this event, but they do have a web-site.

A great resource I found online is titled the "The Drug War Rant:Why Marijuana is Illegal".

This very well research article has a fabulous time line to show both the history of hemp and marijauna growth and industries as well as how the laws came into being.

Here is an excerp:

"Many people assume that marijuana was made illegal through some kind of process involving scientific, medical, and government hearings; that it was to protect the citizens from what was determined to be a dangerous drug.

The actual story shows a much different picture. Those who voted on the legal fate of this plant never had the facts, but were dependent on information supplied by those who had a specific agenda to deceive lawmakers. You'll see below that the very first federal vote to prohibit marijuana was based entirely on a documented lie on the floor of the Senate.

You'll also see that the history of marijuana's criminalization is filled with:

• Racism
• Fear
• Protection of Corporate Profits
• Yellow Journalism
• Ignorant, Incompetent, and/or Corrupt Legislators
• Personal Career Advancement and Greed

These are the actual reasons marijuana is illegal."