PFlynn
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Colorado - It was a warmer-than-average, sunny day in Boulder on Sunday. And around 4:20 p.m. on the University of Colorado campus, the sky grew unusually hazy.
Cheers erupted along with a heavy cloud of smoke as an estimated 10,000 people – mostly CU students joined by friends from out of town and some local residents – lit up to celebrate at an annual pot-smoking rally.
Some said they were there to advocate for the legalization of marijuana. Others – including some who came just to watch – said it was all for fun. "It's like, why do people drink beer on St. Patrick's Day?" said a 22-year-old "super senior" who didn't want to give his name.
"It's a holiday. Like the Fourth of July."
The number "420" is slang for marijuana. Across the country each year, pro-pot rallies are held on April 20th or "4-20."
Though there were events all day long on the CU campus, from an art display to live bands, the students chose 4:20 p.m. for the massive smoke-up on Norlin Quadrangle.
A few guys played drums. Some girls danced. Beach balls and Frisbees flew through the air.
CU-Boulder police monitored the gathering, with 15 campus officers and six Boulder County Sheriff's deputies stationed around the perimeter and directing traffic around campus.
According to a news release, the focus was to "maintain a safe environment and discourage potentially hazardous activities."
No citations were issued and there were no arrests, though there were four medical incidents and two people transported to local hospitals, the release stated. One person was treated for a seizure, the other for dehydration.
Most of the crowd left by 5:15 p.m., police said.
In 2005, when the event was on Farrand Field, CU officials turned sprinklers on the crowd. In 2006, campus officials took pictures of attendees – then posted them online and offered a $50 reward for anyone who could identify a person in them.
Sunday's event was organized in part by the CU chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML.
Alex Douglas, a CU sophomore who handles public relations for the NORML chapter, said the group tried to get the message out that people didn't have to smoke pot to attend the rally.
"420 isn't about smoking," he said. "420 is about activism."
Douglas said CU administrators required the group to pay more than $600 to hire seven security guards. NORML was trying to make up for the expense by giving people a chance at a $5 drawing.
Each entrant got to guess the number of jelly beans in a jar. The 20 people closest to the correct number would receive a prize, ranging from a NORML T-shirt to a plastic marijuana leaf necklace or a pipe, Douglas said.
On Norlin Quad, others were getting into the entrepreneurial spirit, selling $15 T-shirts commemorating the event, lighters, and buttons that read "Get trippy, Boulder Colorado" and "Got Dose?"
Douglas said his group wants to get across the message that marijuana isn't dangerous and should be decriminalized.
Source: Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)
Copyright: 2008 Denver Publishing Co.
Contact: letters@rockymountainnews.com
Website: Rocky Mountain News : Denver News, Business, Homes, Jobs, Cars, & Information
Cheers erupted along with a heavy cloud of smoke as an estimated 10,000 people – mostly CU students joined by friends from out of town and some local residents – lit up to celebrate at an annual pot-smoking rally.
Some said they were there to advocate for the legalization of marijuana. Others – including some who came just to watch – said it was all for fun. "It's like, why do people drink beer on St. Patrick's Day?" said a 22-year-old "super senior" who didn't want to give his name.
"It's a holiday. Like the Fourth of July."
The number "420" is slang for marijuana. Across the country each year, pro-pot rallies are held on April 20th or "4-20."
Though there were events all day long on the CU campus, from an art display to live bands, the students chose 4:20 p.m. for the massive smoke-up on Norlin Quadrangle.
A few guys played drums. Some girls danced. Beach balls and Frisbees flew through the air.
CU-Boulder police monitored the gathering, with 15 campus officers and six Boulder County Sheriff's deputies stationed around the perimeter and directing traffic around campus.
According to a news release, the focus was to "maintain a safe environment and discourage potentially hazardous activities."
No citations were issued and there were no arrests, though there were four medical incidents and two people transported to local hospitals, the release stated. One person was treated for a seizure, the other for dehydration.
Most of the crowd left by 5:15 p.m., police said.
In 2005, when the event was on Farrand Field, CU officials turned sprinklers on the crowd. In 2006, campus officials took pictures of attendees – then posted them online and offered a $50 reward for anyone who could identify a person in them.
Sunday's event was organized in part by the CU chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML.
Alex Douglas, a CU sophomore who handles public relations for the NORML chapter, said the group tried to get the message out that people didn't have to smoke pot to attend the rally.
"420 isn't about smoking," he said. "420 is about activism."
Douglas said CU administrators required the group to pay more than $600 to hire seven security guards. NORML was trying to make up for the expense by giving people a chance at a $5 drawing.
Each entrant got to guess the number of jelly beans in a jar. The 20 people closest to the correct number would receive a prize, ranging from a NORML T-shirt to a plastic marijuana leaf necklace or a pipe, Douglas said.
On Norlin Quad, others were getting into the entrepreneurial spirit, selling $15 T-shirts commemorating the event, lighters, and buttons that read "Get trippy, Boulder Colorado" and "Got Dose?"
Douglas said his group wants to get across the message that marijuana isn't dangerous and should be decriminalized.
Source: Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)
Copyright: 2008 Denver Publishing Co.
Contact: letters@rockymountainnews.com
Website: Rocky Mountain News : Denver News, Business, Homes, Jobs, Cars, & Information
