Demonstrators march to downtown San Antonio, demand legal pot

Richard Nino posts his message as supporters of the legalization movement for marijuana participate in the 2nd Global Marijuana March in San Antonio on May 7, 2016. Richard Nino posts his message as supporters of the legalization movement for marijuana participate in the 2nd Global Marijuana March in San Antonio on May 7, 2016. Photo: TOM REEL, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS Photo: TOM REEL, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS Image 1 of / 35 Caption Close Demonstrators march to downtown San Antonio, demand legal pot 1 / 35 Back to Gallery

Some 100 people marched in San Antonio’s second annual “marijuana march” to build support for grass-roots efforts to ease Texas marijuana laws and decriminalize pot use.

The event was hosted by the local chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

Jesus Ramirez marched with a sign emblazoned with a cannabis plant and the words "Don't Fight. Make It Right. Legalize."

“I’m here because I think we need more compassion for people who are suffering,” said Ramirez, 44, a former glazier who also uses cannabis to reduce pain from a neck injury that forced him to retire five years ago. “Marijuana helps people cope. Why would anyone be against that?”

During the three-mile march that began at Brackenridge Park and ended at Pink’s Patio, Ramirez joined the crowd in chanting slogans, among them “The problem is the law, not the plant!” and “Free the weed for those in need!”

A new Texas law went into effect in January that allows people with intractable epilepsy to use cannabis oil for relief from seizures. Under the narrowly defined “compassionate use program,” the state will start licensing dispensaries by June next year.

Dean Becker, a Houston radio show host for the Drug Truth Network and author of “To End the War on Drugs: A Guide for Politicians, the Press and Public,” urged lawmakers to pass reforms to show mercy for those suffering in silence.

“So many people find relief from their pain with marijuana when nothing else works,” he said. “We should find ways to make it easier for them instead of making their lives even harder.”

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