Joplin Norml is having a concert to spread the word about marijuana.

The doors will open at 8pm, on April 20 (420) at Joplin’s Nightlife.

Cinna the Poet will be the headlining act at this year’s ‘420’ show.

The D Boyz, a local hip-hop group will also play.

And Mannequin Kill Appeal will be making its first live performance.

“They’re (Mannequin Kill Appeal) a really cool progressive rock band,” said Kelly Maddy, president of the Joplin chapter of Norml.

The event will also have prizes, raffles, T-shirt giveaways and a joint rolling (with tobacco) competition. The prize for the joint rolling competition will be a pipe and the prize for the raffle will be either a bong or a hookah.

“They’re all clean, nobody’s smoked out of them yet,” Maddy said. “Until maybe someone takes them home. But they’re legal until then.”

There will also be alternative prizes for non-smokers that might win.

There are also gift certificates and magazine prescriptions available.

Maddy will also give a speech at the event to help raise awareness about marijuana.

He will also show a few public service announcements that have been produced independently in the last year.

The announcements will cover medical marijuana, industrial hemp and the taxation and regulation of marijuana.

“Cannabis can make everything on the planet that man can make except for metal and glass,” Maddy said. “It can make everything from plastics to fuels, fibers, building products and plumbing materials. And it’s a renewable resource. It’s actually one of the only plants that is that versatile.”

The national Norml website promotes that marijuana is good for fuel, paper, medicine, inspiration, food and oil.

But the biggest problem that Norml faces is the governments attempt to continue to prohibit the use of marijuana recreationally.

“These are serious issues that people should care about because these are our family and friends being put in jail for no reason, and being made criminals when there are drug dealers serving ‘perfectly legal cocktails’ down the street,” Maddy said. “Alcohol messes people up way more than marijuana ever has. So it should be made legal and then taxed and regulated just like alcohol and tobacco. It’s a less harmful drug to society and it’s time we start treating it that way.”

Maddy said in the U.S. nearly 800,000 people are arrested every year for marijuana, and 90 percent of those cases are possession only.

“We should be able to do with our body what we want,” Maddy said.

And Maddy isn’t the only one who thinks this way.

“Yeah we promote marijuana, but it’s way safer than cigarettes or alcohol,” said Josh Mullen, lead singer of Cinna the Poet.

This will be the first time Cinna the Poet will headline this show.

“It’s a big deal for us because we like everything Kelly’s doing with Norml,” said RJ Jennings, bass for Cinna the Poet. “We support it in anyway that we can.”

For more information on Joplin’s chapter of Norml please visit Cannabisrevival.com, Joplin-norml.org, or the Joplin Norml’s Myspace or Facebook pages.

Samples of all three of the bands music will be available on Joplin Norml’s Myspace page.

The show will cost $5 at the door, and raffle tickets will be $1. To get involved with Joplin Norml there will be a registration table at the show.

Norml also holds its meetings at the Joplin public library the first Monday of every month.