DOOBIEOUS BUST

John Suval- Houston Press (TX)

Thu, 16 May 2002

Undercover Cops Infiltrate A Pro-Pot Event, But Don't Weed Out Much From The Crowd

May 4 was more than just another Saturday night at Fitzgerald's. Roughly 500 people gathered at the gritty rock 'n' roll venue to mark Liberation Day, an international event for the decriminalization of marijuana. While bands jammed on the upstairs and downstairs stages, drug-reform advocates dutifully distributed information on medical marijuana and postcards to send to politicians and editorial boards. An occasional whiff of ganja sweetened the dark, smoky air.

"It was a liberation fest. It wasn't a crack house," says 26-year-old Taunya Poole, a volunteer for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. "I've seen more drugs at a rodeo or a Willie Nelson concert."

For the police, the event made an irresistible target. The posters, distributed around town by the thousands, had billed the occasion as the "Million Marijuana March" and promised "a fat sack of some of Houston's finest rock performances." A large marijuana leaf adorned the promotional art for good measure. Police spokesman Robert Hurst says that officers were well aware of the planned event.

"Officers had developed some information through undercover intelligence-gathering that there would be some people inside the club during the event that might be selling controlled substances or marijuana," he says.

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