[THS] Colorado Daily: 10,000 Gather at CU's Norlin Quad for 4/20

[Peter Webster]

Pubdate: Mon, 21 Apr 2008
Source: Colorado Daily (Boulder, CO)
Copyright: 2008 New Colorado Daily, Inc.
Contact: letters at coloradodaily.com
Website: http://www.coloradodaily.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1557
Author: Lance Vaillancourt
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Marijuana)

10,000 GATHER AT CU'S NORLIN QUAD FOR 4/20

Celebrated by many an avid pot smoker on the 20th day in April, 
yesterday's counterculture holiday "4/20" was a big hit on the CU 
campus as thousands gathered to the Norlin Library Quadrangle to celebrate.

Clear skies prevailed throughout the afternoon as observers of the 
unofficial holiday began to congregate on the field, some as early as 
noon. Fashion of the day included a broad array of T-shirts touting 
pot references -- everything from "Half Baked" to "Rehab is for 
Quitters" -- and enough people sporting the color green to rival St. 
Patrick's Day.

"This is the best day ever," said Karen, a CU political science major 
dressed up as a giant pot leaf. "This should happen every Sunday."

Activities picked up as the countdown to 4:20 p.m. went on. Hordes of 
students and pot-friendly community members clustered together 
throughout the field laying out blankets and tossing footballs and 
Frisbees. The thumping of drum circles that peppered throughout the 
area could be heard by passersby.

In some respects, the Boulder tradition was a commercial event. 
Groups of people began passing around Mardi-Gras style beaded 
pot-leaf necklaces in exchange for social contributions, and outdoor 
vendors were even selling 4/20 memorabilia to the masses -- shirts 
reading "Boulder 4/20" and "Colorado Puffs" -- as the day went on. 
The event has even garnished enough of a reputation to attract 
visitors from far outside of Boulder.

"We spent most of the day on Pearl Street before we headed out here," 
said Josh Ejtehadi, who traveled with his friend Ian all the way from 
Colorado Springs to attend the event. "This is my second year out 
here. I had heard that Jerry Garcia started it, so I knew it would be awesome."

By the time 4 p.m. rolled around, hundreds of the event's attendees 
had already rolled up joints and filled glass pipes of all shapes and 
sizes in anticipation of the most massive outdoor community smoking 
session of the year. Attendance was so massive, in fact, that police 
on duty at the event made no efforts to discourage it.

"If it was one guy smoking on Pearl Street and one police officer, 
that's a one-to-one ratio," said Cmdr. Brad Wiesley, Public 
Information Officer for the CU Police Department (CUPD). "When it's 
10,000 people and 20 officers, that's a different story."

A news release from issued by the CUPD after the event stated that 
approximately 15 officers and six Boulder County Sheriff's deputies 
monitored the 420 activity that occurred on campus to support public 
safety -- not to enforce the laws against it.

"Given the size of the crowd that appeared on a warm spring Sunday 
afternoon, the focus of the police was to maintain a safe environment 
and discourage potentially hazardous activities," the release stated. 
"No citations were issued and no arrests were made."

Those in attendance did not need a watch to know the exact moment 
that 4:20 p.m. had struck -- because if the sudden rush of intense 
cheering throughout the field wasn't enough to clue them in, the 
massive haze of smoke that soon lifted above the crowd sure did. 
Festivities continued with more intensity, such as several drum 
circle drummers climbing trees, for the next half-hour before the 
crowd began to dissipate steadily by 5 p.m.

According to the CUPD summary, the event was conducted safely by 
those in attendance with no problems that could be linked directly to 
the use of marijuana.

"Four medical incidents were reported," the release stated, "with two 
patients transported to the hospital by ambulance for treatment. The 
medical calls were for issues such as dehydration and a seizure." 
_______________________________________________________________

Pubdate: Mon, 21 Apr 2008
Source: Chatham Daily News, The (CN ON)
Copyright: 2008 OSPREY Media Group Inc.
Contact: news at chathamdailynews.ca
Website: http://www.chathamdailynews.ca
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1627
Author: Joe Matyas
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Marijuana - Canada)

POT SMOKERS GATHER IN LONDON PARK

Hundreds of doobie devotees celebrated the most important date on the 
pothead calendar yesterday by getting lit at London's Victoria Park.

A cloud of marijuana smoke wafted into the air at about 4:20 p.m., on 
the 20th day of the fourth month of the year. 4:20 Day, as it's 
called, was first reported in California in 1971.

Since then, it has spread across North America and become an annual 
counter-culture ritual.

Those in the know light up alone, privately with friends or in groups 
in public places. The public events are unorganized in the conventional sense.

People attending yesterday's smokefest in the park said they heard 
about it by word of mouth, e-mail or social networking on the Internet.

"You just hear about it and everyone shows up," said Dawna, who 
declined to give her last name. "I heard about it from my daughter 
and she heard about it from friends."

Most of them cheered after the word spread it was time to light up. 
The throng gathered in the northeast sector of the park, near a tree 
where a couple of musicians entertained them with a rasta rock sound.

Deryck Murray and Shango Clarkson, a duo known as Son of the Sun, 
said they ordinarily perform every Sunday night at Scot's Corner tavern.

"We had an opportunity to play for a bigger crowd and we took it," 
Murray said. "It was fun, very peaceful." Clarkson, a drummer wearing 
dreadlocks, said, "There were only about five people here when we 
arrived about a quarter to four."

Half an hour later, there was a crowd.

Senior citizen Kathleen Furlong said she was there for the music. "I 
like these guys (Deryck and Shango)," she said. "I don't drink and 
I've never done drugs, but it didn't bother me. It was T-shirt 
weather and everybody was having fun and enjoying the sun."

Roz, also a friend of the musicians, said, "it was a nice event 
except for one thing - the litter. I'm into the environment and I 
couldn't believe the big mess left behind by the crowd." London 
police were not seen during the gathering.

Some passersby didn't appreciate what they saw. Christa, her husband 
Pat and their three children were strolling in the park when they 
encountered people smoking bong pipes and dragging on joints.

"We were astonished," she said. "We couldn't believe people were 
openly doing drugs when it's against the law. It made us feel 
uncomfortable because our children were with us." 
_______________________________________________________________

Pubdate: Sun, 20 Apr 2008
Source: Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Copyright: 2008 Sun-Sentinel Company
Contact: letters at sun-sentinel.com
Website: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/159
Author: Jason George, Chicago Tribune
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Marijuana)

4/20 EVENTS NOT JUST GRASS-ROOTS ANYMORE

A Once-Hidden Holiday Goes Commercial

"4/20."

Know what that means?

If so, you're probably grinning (or fretting) about
now.

If not, you just might be showing your age.

Sunday marks the annual "4/20" holiday, when stoners around the world
will gather to celebrate, and smoke, marijuana--an illegal tradition
you won't find on any official calendar.

For decades, this counterculture tradition of getting high on April
20--4/20--was mostly confined to dorm rooms, hippie hide-outs and the
basement of that neighbor of yours who watched cartoons all day.

No longer, though, as 420 now is going commercial. This year, the
release of three documentaries, a Web-broadcast television show,
concerts and stand-up comedy events have been timed to occur around
April 20. The movie "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay," which
opens nationwide this week, has a marketing campaign that includes
"420 parties" over the weekend in several cities, including Chicago.

In fact, 420 has gotten so big that some purists fear the
commercialization glosses over "the reason for the season."

The origins of 420--pronounced "four-twenty"--go back to 1971, when a
group of students at a California high school students used the code
phrase "420 Louis" to indicate that they would meet, and get high, at
4:20 p.m., in front of a local Louis Pasteur statue, said Steven
Hager, editor in chief of High Times magazine. Over the next 20 years
the ritual of smoking pot at that time, and later, on the date of
4/20, spread virally, a "grass-roots phenomenon," according to Hager.

In recent years, authorities have also begun to take notice of the
observance. The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy now
alerts parents and educators with a fact sheet titled "4-20--Did You
Know That This Is More Than Just a Date?"

These days, 420 is a slogan for the pro-pot lifestyle. "420?" as a
question can mean "Would you like to smoke?" or "Is it cool if I
smoke?" Those three numerals also emblazon T-shirts, bumper stickers
and beer.

Google "420" and "marijuana" and you'll get nearly 400,000 hits,
including "420-friendly" dating sites, stores selling smoking pipes
and even an ironically named drug test.

"Anyone wanting to make and sell a 420-related product tends to add
the number 420 anywhere they can," said Rob Griffin, webmaster of the
online 420 Magazine.

This year, NORML, the oldest and largest marijuana legalization
organization in the country, plans to hold a fundraising drive,
something it started in 2007.

"Beyond the fact that many commercial entities have now latched onto
it, NORML is definitely, totally taking advantage of this fantastic
organic holiday," said Allen St. Pierre, the group's executive director.

In Chicago, several clubs are planning events, often advertising
alongside celebrations for Earth Day, which is Tuesday. It's just one
association with 420, part of a push by some adherents to make the day
about more than just getting stoned.

"We need peace in the drug war, and this should be the central focus
of 420, in my opinion," said Hager, the High Times editor.

One 39-year-old Chicago professional, who didn't want his named used
for obvious reasons, said he's all set to host his fourth annual 420
party.

"We serve pizza rolls, Lit'l Smokies, all kinds of candy bars--the
munchies-food I guess you'd expect," he said.

"We're all in our 30s--a mix of people, although everybody is in some
kind of white-collar job, and we all enjoy an occasional smoke."

What does 420 mean to him?

"Nothing really special, I guess. It's an easy excuse," he
said.

"What else are you going to do?" 
__________________________________________________________________________

Pubdate: Mon, 21 Apr 2008
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright: 2008 Winnipeg Free Press
Contact: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/info/letters/index.html
Website: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502
Author: Meghan Hurley
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Marijuana - Canada)

THOUSANDS CELEBRATE LOVE OF EARTH, WEED

Security guards and police officers watched on the sidelines as the 
Manitoba Legislative Building grounds went up in smoke on Sunday.

The grass didn't catch fire but thousands of people lit up marijuana 
joints or fired up their bongs to protest the criminalization of the drug.

"We're standing up for smoking weed," said Anthony Roncin, 24, who 
was smoking pot using a gas mask and a blow torch. "It's sociable and 
it brings people together."

Every year at the same time, druggies and human rights activists 
alike join together to protest. Some came to demonstrate for the 
decriminalization of marijuana while others showed up just to be able 
to smoke pot in public.

"It's so cool that we're doing this," said R.J Norman, 18, who was 
smoking pot with his friends using a bong almost as tall as he is. "I 
don't think we bought enough."

He also thinks marijuana should be legal for everyone, he said.

"We should have the right to smoke weed because it's relaxing," 
Norman said before deeply inhaling pot.

Just before 4:20 p.m. Winnipeggers counted down the seconds before 
they all smoked weed in unison.

A loud roar of rejoice at exactly 4:20 p.m. was followed by the smell 
of pot that overwhelmed the Legislative Building grounds. Green 
fireworks were set off in the air to kick off the post smoking event.

Jazzmin Paquette, 20, came to the protest accessorized in a green lay 
to represent marijuana.

"Cigarettes are legal, but they have like 46,000 chemicals in them," 
Paquette said after smoking weed at 4:20 p.m. "People out there who 
have cancer, the only thing they can do to keep their appetite up is 
to smoke weed."

Hotdog stands and ice cream vendors lined the sidewalk on Broadway in 
front of the legislature to catch the pot smokers when the munchies kicked in.

The protest ended pretty quickly but some smokers hung around to help 
clean up garbage left behind, acknowledging Earth Day.

Earth Day, also celebrated on Sunday, was held at FortWhyte Alive. 
Events included promoting a "carbon-lite" lifestyle by lowering 
carbon emissions, becoming a green commuter, as well as many 
activities for children and adults. 
__________________________________________________________________________

Pubdate: Mon, 21 Apr 2008
Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel (CA)
Copyright: 2008 Santa Cruz Sentinel
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/sE0hOwkGfF
Website: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/394
Author: Tom Ragan
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Marijuana - California)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Marijuana)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States)

Up in Smoke:

THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS GATHER FOR POTFEST AT UCSC

SANTA CRUZ -- Thousands of college students, dispelling the notion 
that marijuana somehow makes users forgetful, showed up late Sunday 
afternoon at UC Santa Cruz and smoked major amounts of weed.

It was a coordinated effort that went off without a hitch to 
celebrate what has become commonly known as "4/20" to a pot-smoking subculture.

In what could be aptly described as a cross between a New Year's Eve 
party and a wannabe Woodstock gathering, thousands of students found 
their way to the meadow behind Porter College in a scene reminiscent 
of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," then counted down the 
seconds until 4:20 p.m.

And when the time finally arrived, a big cheer went up along with 
huge clouds of smoke.

About a minute or two later, another cheer went up with more clouds of smoke.

Then another a few minutes after that.

Clearly, watches weren't synchronized -- but, hey, how relevant is 
time anyway, really? Think about it.

Norbert Borbely was.

"Everything repeats itself eventually -- history, politics, war, " 
said a philosophical-thinking Borbely, 36, a UCSC student whose first 
and last name, incidentally, contains several letters in the middle 
that repeat themselves -- something he pointed out just moments after 
taking a hit of from his glass pipe.

But for Borbely, smoking weed isn't just about having fun, he said.

"For me, smoking pot is a learning experience. It's a part of the 
process of understanding yourself. It makes you conscious about what 
you're doing. The code is different each time, but you keep playing 
the game. And each time the results can be different."

For decades now, the date 4/20 and the time 4:20 p.m. have become a 
part of a grass-smoking subculture whose exact history is still hard 
to pinpoint.

The story often circulated is that the term and time came from a 
group of students at San Rafael High School in the early 1970s. They 
would say "4:20" to indicate the time they were going to meet after 
school to smoke a little dope. It was a sort of code to them; kind of 
like a cooler version of Pig Latin.

Since then, other stories have wildly grown -- from a god who left 
Ethiopa and settled in Jamaica only to have musician Bob Marley 
further immortalize him -- to the exact degree of the heat needed to 
get a big fattie going: 420 degrees Fahrenheit.

Imagination seems to know no boundaries when it comes to thinking up 
coincidences of the date and time and world events, which students 
pointed out in the meadow. For example, Adolf Hitler was born on April 20.

The Columbine High School massacre in Colorado occurred on the same date.

Somebody tripped on LSD for the first time at that exact moment, 
according to his diary.

But in the end, the history isn't as relevant, they said, as is the 
common bond of getting together and smoking dope.

And the reasons behind their fascination with THC were as varied as 
the bud and the shake that was going around.

"It releases my inhibitions," said Scott Bernhardt, 20, who played an 
acoustic guitar at the entrance to the meadow. "I can definitely play 
well not stoned, but the feeling isn't the same."

Said John Hunter, 21, a UCLA student who made the special trip to 
UCSC for the occasion: "I smoke pot to enhance reality. Of course, 
you're going to get your negative stereotypes. But I go to UCLA. I've 
got a 3.6 grade point average. I've got a job. I've got ambition, and 
I've been smoking marijuana virtually every day of my life.

"There's nothing bad about it."

Don't tell that to the UCSC administration, which had to worry about 
all the possible bad scenarios that could unfold when thousands of 
students congregate in one setting and start having at the spliff, in 
some cases potent stuff that's manufactured for medical purposes.

As much as the university tried to discourage outsiders from coming 
in by setting up roadblocks at the entrances to campus, it was a daunting task.

Which is why extra security was on hand and a few fire engines were 
also placed on the periphery in case all those matches and lighters 
missed the mark and landed in a patch of dry grass nearby.

"This is an event that's unsanctioned and unwelcomed by the 
university," said Jim Burns, a spokesman for the UCSC. "It's based on 
an illegal activity that has become large in recent years and we're 
attempting to send a signal that it's not welcome."

But it's happening all over the country at scores of college 
campuses, Burns points out. Not just at UCSC.

He said observers of past years report that fewer students attended 
this year's event than last year, and that not as many people stayed 
longer this year than last year.

Overall the day passed peacefully, given the large numbers -- except 
for the 150 to 200 car owners who returned to their illegally parked 
cars and found a ticket on the windshield. What a buzz kill.

Some students used the event to have a little fun.

Coming into the campus on the Westside, the fire condition sign for 
the surrounding redwood forest wasn't set to "High" or "Moderate." It 
was, as somebody jokingly amended to the sign, "Baked." 
_____________________________________________________________