Sunday, October 2nd, 2011--3:40p.m.
MADISON--With a name like the '41st Annual Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival', you might expect it to be all about smoking pot. "You may smell some in the air, there's patients here who you know need to medicate," said Gary Storck, the co-founder of Madison NORML.

Storck says the point of this fest is actually to promote awareness.
"Educate people about the uses of the Cannabis plant and also to point out how ridiculous and counter-productive it is to have Cannabis prohibition," he said.

He--and other attendees--say they've experienced benefits from Marijuana use first hand. "This is medicine for sick people, this is a great social thing that's a lot safer than alcohol," said Storck. "For medical users, I have Glaucoma I've used this for 39 years now and it's saved my eye sight and helped preserve it."

That's why he and others are marching up State Street to the Capitol. And even though it's a Sunday, Storck predicts their message will still be heard. "Even though they're not here to hear us they know we've been there," he said. "I think they know what we're about and they know what we stand for."