Organizers of the pro-cannabis protest and farmer’s market faced plenty of criticism for the event post-legalization but vow to continue.
It has been just over six months since the Canadian government legalized recreational cannabis, but organizers of the local pro-cannabis protest and farmer’s market say they see no reason to stop now, despite pressure from some local officials to pay up and/or get off Sunset Beach.
Vancouver police spokesman Sgt. Jason Robillard stated in an email his department wasn’t releasing an official crowd estimate but could describe it as “large.” Still, plenty of young teens took hits from bongs on Sunset Beach. But it was unclear if they were smoking government cannabis pinched from a parent’s stash, or if they had managed to circumvent the “Got ID, kid?” policy in place.
On Friday, councillor Melissa De Genova said she intended to bring a motion to council meant to recover all costs from the 4/20 organizers and go after the vendors, contractors and others who profit off the event, too. Larsen was optimistic that the sunny weather and turf protection they rented for the field would prevent any damage to the grass this year, “although I’m pretty sure the park board’s going to close it up anyways,” he added.
Larsen said 4/20 remains a protest because the cost of legal cannabis remains prohibitive, the laws are more punitive than those for alcohol, and people are still being charged or remain stigmatized because of past cannabis charges. As per tradition, around 4 p.m., Larsen addressed the large crowd, reiterating his message to continue 4/20.
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