'Hempfest' Held On Boston Common
BOSTON (CBS) -- The city's annual "Freedom Rally," also know as Hempfest, was at the Boston Common on Saturday, beginning at noon and running until about 8 p.m.
The Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition, the state chapter of National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), hosted the event. The group hopes the event raises awareness of the positive uses of marijuana, according to a prepared statement.
It was not legal to smoke cannabis at the event.
State public health officials granted final approval for medical marijuana in May. Massachusetts voters decriminalized cannabis in November 2008.
The Hempfest rally, which has been held on the Carty Parade Field section of the Boston Common annually since 1995, had been scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, but the Boston Parks and Recreation Department only issued a one-day permit to organizers.
