To commemorate 10 years of activism, the Marijuana Policy Project is holding a fundraising gala Monday in Los Angeles.

At the ceremony, actor Tommy Chong, who went to prison for selling drug paraphernalia with his picture on it, will accept the group's Courage Under Fire Award.

Angel Raich, an Oakland medical marijuana user who is now locked in a Supreme Court battle against the federal government to defend medical cannabis rights, will be named Marijuana Policy Reform Activist of the Year.

Raich, who suffers from an inoperable brain tumor and several other ailments, has publicly urged Pasadena City Council members to vote against proposed zoning regulations that would outlaw medical marijuana dispensaries in the city.

Awaiting a Supreme Court decision, council members have delayed a public hearing on the issue until May 16 or later.

Many states have decriminalized medical marijuana use. Since 1996, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Montana and Vermont have removed state drug penalties for patients with a doctor's prescription.