Longtime marijuana advocate and veteran of Yippies pleads guilty to Ill. pot charge

By Associated Press

12:52 PM CDT, May 20, 2009
CHARLESTON, Ill. (AP) â?? A longtime advocate for marijuana legalization and veteran of the countercultural Yippies has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor marijuana possession in eastern Illinois.

Sixty-two-year-old Irvin Dale "Dana" Beal of New York City was ordered to pay $1,300 in fines after pleading guilty Monday in Charleston. Obstruction of justice charges were dropped.

Beal was arrested in Mattoon in June 2008 after an argument at a Steak N' Shake restaurant. Police say Beal was carrying more than $150,000 in cash. Federal authorities are trying to force him to forfeit the money.

Beal has long advocated marijuana legalization for medical use. In the 1960s, he was a well-known member of the Yippies, or Youth International Party.
Galaxy Reviewed by Galaxy on . Help Free Dana Beal - founder Worldwide Marijuana March MONDAY, JUNE 9, 2008 There have been many groups in the history of American protest who have made great strides for social justice, but a rarefied few have left a mark an indelible as the Youth International Party(Yippies). A group of anti-Vietnam War activist who used irony, humor, intelligence, and their own blinding belief in peace and love to challenge the establishment on the streets, in the courts, and the halls of Congress itself. Rating: 5