cannabisnews.com: Please Smoke Pot Before You Read This Article! Please Smoke Pot Before You Read This Article! Posted by CN Staff on July 09, 2002 at 20:04:16 PT By Adrian Nieoczym, Associate Staff Writer Source: Peak CN BC Vancouver pot smokers gathered on Canada Day for a patriotic smoke-in. They took over the lawn at the art gallery for a rally that was remarkably different from other demonstrations held here in recent months. There was the standard political demand (ie. legalise marijuana), but there was no economic critique, no objections to capitalism, globalisation or social inequality. Rather than criticise the current economic system, pot entrepreneurs were simply demanding that they be acknowledged as fully fledged, due paying members of the free market. Many in the crowd of approximately 400 made the Canadian flag a part of their costumes, celebrating identities as Canadians and as pot smokers. There was lots of fun - everybody was tokin', talkin' and chillin'. The crowd was diverse; teenagers with wild hair shared joints and a laugh with adults dressed in GAP attire. A friendly vibe of tolerance and acceptance filled the air along with a sweet smell. While the crowd probably represented a diversity of political opinions as well as dress, the message of the rally was clear: pot dealers, growers and users are Canadians too, and we want our passion - smoking weed - to be sanctioned by the state. Gordon Campbell and Jean Chretien, listen up: we demand our lifestyle be legitimised as a legal consumer choice. Speakers made a point of addressing the political and social ramifications of keeping pot illegal, but most of the emphasis was on having a good time and getting high, and there's nothing wrong with that. Bands played, people danced, and merchants hawked their wares. Dealers wandered through the masses, openly showing off their selection of herbs, while artisans offered an incredible array of smoking paraphernalia. A woman with pink hair, dressed in a purple cowgirl outfit, carried a basket with a sign saying $5 a joint. People willingly let themselves be videotaped holding mega-ounces of BC's finest for sale. Unlike other art gallery events, the police were almost nowhere to be seen. The few uniformed officers that were there hung out across the street chatting among themselves, leaning against the wall. They looked like they might have been enjoying a little second hand smoke exposure. If there were any undercovers in the crowd, they certainly were not here to shut down illicit commerce. One of the side effects of the burgeoning pot culture has been the neutering of marijuana as a symbol of rebellion. It's practically a prescription drug, for heaven's sake, and some politicians from across the left-right spectrum are starting to openly endorse decriminalisation - and in some cases, outright legalisation. Estimates put the value of the marijuana industry to the B.C. economy at anywhere between $2 billion and $10 billion, making it one of B.C.'s top three industries. A significant amount of that money circulates in the 'legitimate' economy through the purchase of hydroponics equipment, gardening supplies, hydro electricity, zip lock baggies and other legal consumables. Given the depressed nature of B.C.'s forestry and tourism, pot might very well be at the top of B.C.'s economic leaderboard. It is very possible that pot is propping up the B.C. economy, preventing it from taking on third world status. The establishment is surely profiting from marijuana. With pot advocates only demanding that they be admitted out of the counter-culture and into mainstream capitalism, marijuana is not a threat to our society's ruling structures. It seems pretty obvious that pot would already be legal in Canada (especially in B.C.), except that we have to live next door to those crazy Americans. It is clear that it is past time to end the hypocrisy. Anti-pot laws only serve as harassment tools, deployed at the whims of government and police, so the sooner pot is legalised, the better. There is something really depressing, however, about the idea of having to go into the Pacific Centre for a dime bag. They don't let teenagers with wild hair hang out in front of the GAP store there. Complete Title: BC Culture: Please Smoke Pot Before You Read This Article! Source: Peak, The (CN BC)Author: Adrian Nieoczym, Associate Staff Writer Published: 10, Vol 111 -- July 8, 2002 Copyright: 2002 Peak Publications SocietyWebsite: http://www.peak.sfu.ca/Contact: letters mail.peak.sfu.caCannabisNews Articles -- Canada - Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=canada+marijuana Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #5 posted by Naaps on July 10, 2002 at 11:34:41 PT Cannabis Day Celebration! Wow, there’s an article regarding the Cannabis Day Celebration! Vancouver’s two other major papers, the Sun and the Province failed to mention the event before they went on strike. The Peak is a Simon Fraser University paper, so they can afford to be more controversial covering events and offering views that the mainstream papers ignore.I already posted a summary of the event. See: http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread13283.shtmlThe crowd was diverse; teenagers with wild hair shared joints and a laugh with adults dressed in GAP attire. Maybe, I’m getting older, so teenagers appear more babyfaced, but some of the young people there looked to be in their early teens. True, I first used cannabis at 15, but seeing these youths among the crowd makes me cringe. Many cannabis supporters recognize that it should be available to adults, not children, yet the cannabis celebration is an open event, so there is no age controls. Isn’t it one of the arguments of prolific letter writer, Robert Sharp, of the Drug Policy Alliance, that by regulating cannabis, age restrictions could be enforced? As it was, everyone at the celebration was doing something technically illegal, so there was no effort to distinguish between the youthful participants and the adults.Unlike other art gallery events, the police were almost nowhere to be seen. In years past, the cops would hang around the perimeters of the event, but there would be members videotaping the crowd from the parapets of nearby buildings. The cannabis rallies and celebrations have all been well behaved, provided the police don’t precipitate any altercations themselves, as they did five years ago arresting some people as the crowd thinned, and at the famous ‘Grasstown’ Riot in Gastown 30 years ago. The writer is also comparing the cannabis celebration to the antipoverty rally, which got out of hand back in May.There was lots of fun - everybody was tokin', talkin' and chillin'. The event was great. The host, David Malmo-Levine, said that over a pound of high quality, free cannabis was distributed. Everyone was smiling and sociable, the weather was perfect, and the music throbbed. Next year, come to the Cannabis Day Celebration, every year it gets bigger and better! [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by C diddy on July 10, 2002 at 09:09:14 PT I'm high right now That was a good, refreshing article to read. It's no secret that the prohibition in our country is more the product of politcs and ideology than of reason and practicality. Maybe we can learn something from our northern neighbors. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by goneposthole on July 10, 2002 at 06:17:16 PT When all gets said and done There never had to be a "war".When you're stupid, what else can be expected?Antis go home. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by kaptinemo on July 10, 2002 at 04:59:00 PT: Hey, welcome back M-O-G! Good to see you again. And I have been giving a lot of thought about doing something similar. But I am more a tech than a businessman; I'd rather be the chief botanist than the number-cruncher :) [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by military officer guy on July 09, 2002 at 20:33:21 PT awesome... that was by far the best article i have ever read, ok, top 5 for damn sure...amsterdam just got a lot closer, you know what i'm sayin...i'm thinking about opening a shop up north, anyone interested..? we're winning this war... [ Post Comment ] Post Comment