Politicians Come Out for Pot Protest

City leaders are joining patients, activists and supporters in Oakland Monday in support of medical marijuana at the Ring in the New Year Rally and Protest.

Oakland City Council member Rebecca Kaplan and Berkeley's Kriss Worthington are joining supporters and members of Americans for Safe Access and Students for Sensible Drug Policy at the Oakland federal building.

The group, led by activist Mickey Martin, plans to march down to the California State Building, where they will demand the federal government respect the state's rights regarding medical cannabis and protect patients who use it. Martin will begin a year-long prison sentence Jan. 5 for providing pot to patients.

They also plan to give a big thumbs up to the city of Oakland, which became the first in the country to take advantage of medical cannabis clinics, leveraging a 1.8 percent tax on them that's expected to generate up to $300,000 a year.

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