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A passion unites advocates
© St. Petersburg Times, ZEPHYRHILLS -- Georgia Roxbury, 64, felt right at home Saturday among marijuana advocates less than half her age. "All my crowd is young people," said Roxbury, owner of Georgia's Smoke Shop in Hudson, standing in front of her table of glass pipes. "I understand them, and they understand me." If nothing else, the laid-back crowd of young and old that gathered at Zephyr Park for the third annual Hemp Revolution Bar-B-Que certainly understood one another. They all were there to support the legalization of marijuana, and to have fun doing it. It is why they threw their arms out tossing a steel bong, which is used to smoke marijuana, in hopes of winning the Bong Toss. It is why they carefully licked rolling papers in hopes of taking the Perfect Joint Contest crown. It is why they lay on blankets and listened to bands that played under a sign reading, "Welcome to Reeferhills." It is why they sprinted in the Reefer Relay, why they signed petitions. And why they ate hemp seed brownies and hemp nut peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. "It's not just about the pot, it's about the laws," said Willy Slee of Clearwater, who was selling homemade shirts imprinted with everything from marijuana leaves to a picture of Bill Clinton holding a joint. "I don't like any laws. It's about someone trying to tell you what you can do." Michael Palmieri is head of the Florida Organization for Reformed Marijuana Laws, which sponsored the event. He said he hoped the event would help educate people that pot shouldn't be grouped with more harmful drugs. "People are sending the wrong message," said Palmieri, wearing a black pirate's hat draped in plastic marijuana leaves. "Look at these people. It's nothing but peaceful out here. I'm very passionate about pot. I love talking about pot, getting people motivated about pot. I think everything is going great today." Among the other products for sale were pipes and bongs of every shape, size and color. There was hemp shower gel and hemp body lotion, called "Body Dope." There were hemp lozenges, hemp hats, hemp wallets and hemp suckers. Hemp is the parent plant of marijuana. It is very durable and often used to make rope, twine and other products. A pair of Zephyrhills Police officers walked periodically through the park, clearly amused at the hemp paraphernalia, the tie-dye T-shirts and the Stoner Games events. Because of their presence, no one smoked the event's namesake drug, at least not openly. But Roxbury admitted she would be having her daily dose later on. "I have allergies, glaucoma in one eye and high blood pressure," she said. "I smoke one pipe a day, and I see better, I feel better. It's better than liquor, which makes you do things you don't want to do. "With marijuana, it's mellow."
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