Moscow police broke up a march calling for the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes on Saturday, charging four people with promoting the use of an illegal drug.

One participant remained in custody Sunday, while the others, three young women, were ordered by the Presnensky District Court to pay a fine of 4,500 rubles each, Ekho Moskvy radio reported.

Dozens of people turned up for the so-called Hemp March on the Arbat, Lubyansky Proyezd and around the All-Russian Exhibition Center, and about 40 of them were detained by police, Ekho Moskvy said.

Police also prevented Hemp Marches in several other cities across the country Saturday, Interior Ministry spokesman Valery Gribakin said. "Law enforcement agencies believe that these events directly propagandize drugs," Gribakin said, Interfax reported.

"Hemp is an illegal drug in Russia," he added.

A Hemp March took place in Kiev without any police interference Saturday.

The Federal Drug Control Service warned marchers to stay at home ahead of the planned rallies.

"I don't think that the organizers of this march are law-abiding citizens," Vladimir Zubrin, deputy head of the service, said Thursday, Interfax reported.

A person convicted of promoting drug use can be fined up to 35,000 rubles.

-- MAP Posted-by: Richard Lake

Pubdate: Mon, 07 May 2007
Source: Moscow Times, The (Russia)
Copyright: 2007 The Moscow Times
Page: 2
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Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/903
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URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07.n569.a03.html