cannabisnews.com: 10,000 Gather at CU's Norlin Quad for 4/20










  10,000 Gather at CU's Norlin Quad for 4/20

Posted by CN Staff on April 21, 2008 at 07:01:31 PT
By Lance Vaillancourt, Colorado Daily Staff Writer 
Source: Colorado Daily 

Colorado -- 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."Source: Colorado Daily (UC Edu, CO)Author: Lance Vaillancourt, Colorado Daily Staff WriterPublished: Monday, April 21, 2008 Copyright: 2008 Colorado DailyContact: editor coloradodaily.comWebsite: http://www.coloradodaily.com/CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml 

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Comment #13 posted by FoM on April 23, 2008 at 12:43:02 PT

philw 
Thank you for the pictures. They look like such beautiful people. They give me hope.
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Comment #12 posted by philw on April 23, 2008 at 12:14:19 PT:

CU Boulder 420 2008 Photos
10,000 people. Zero Leaders. Zero Tickets. Zero Arrests.See PHOTO PAGES:
http://www.thirdtablet.com/2008/CU-420/
CU Boulder 420 2008 Photos
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #11 posted by Hope on April 21, 2008 at 22:54:57 PT

In the Aspen Times
"Colorado voters legalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana in 2006 but smoking it is still illegal."
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #10 posted by FoM on April 21, 2008 at 17:23:11 PT

OverwhelmSam
I thought you might appreciate this article and video.Obama Moving On To Indiana http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/04/obama_moving_on.html
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #9 posted by FoM on April 21, 2008 at 12:40:51 PT

News Article From Colorado
Up to 1,000 Attend Marijuana Rally at Denver’s Civic Center April 21, 2008http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20080421/NEWS/871590830
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on April 21, 2008 at 12:18:52 PT

Pictures From The Colorado Daily
http://www.coloradodaily.com/photos/galleries/2008/apr/21/cus-420/9906/
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #7 posted by FoM on April 21, 2008 at 12:17:01 PT

4/20 Article From The Eureka Reporter
420’ Gathering Brings More Than a Thousand To Redwood ParkApril 20, 2008http://www.eurekareporter.com/article/080420-420-gathering-brings-more-than-a-thousand-to-redwood-park
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #6 posted by FoM on April 21, 2008 at 12:02:16 PT

SLIDESHOW: UCSC Goes Up In Smoke For 4/20 
http://www.ktvu.com/slideshow/news/15946295/detail.html
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #5 posted by FoM on April 21, 2008 at 12:00:13 PT

Video Link
UP IN SMOKE: Raw Video Of UC-San Cruz's "4/20" Marijuana Smoke-Out http://www.ktvu.com/news/15945571/detail.html
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on April 21, 2008 at 11:32:13 PT

I Loved The Video
I am so proud of the young people after seeing the video. 
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on April 21, 2008 at 11:04:38 PT

Here's The Video Link
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid271530143?bctid=1513326457
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Comment #2 posted by Dankhank on April 21, 2008 at 10:21:52 PT

great video ...
what an amazing scene ...people laughing, living, loving, lifting, liking, lounging, liberated, loose, lugubrious, lazy ...I'm outta l's ...;-0
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Comment #1 posted by OverwhelmSam on April 21, 2008 at 09:58:13 PT

Wow! Watch This Video
At the end of the article is a video of the event. Awesome! Really makes me feel good about being among the ranks of cannabis consumers.http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/apr/20/cus-420-pot-smoke-out-draws-10000/
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