Photos: 420 marijuana celebration in Vancouver

by Miranda Nelson on Apr 21, 2010 at 3:37 pm

The annual 420 celebration in Vancouver drew thousands of marijuana aficionados to the grounds of the Vancouver Art Gallery on April 20. Here's some of the on-scene action.

Seriously, this is still three hours till launch.Miranda Nelson
David Malmo-Levine, Greg Williams, and Jodie Emery—three of the best looking pot activists you'll ever meet.Miranda Nelson
The real question is Where do they take them?Miranda Nelson
We're not sure what was going on, but this man got awfully naked awfully fast. Sure clears a crowd.Miranda Nelson
The iconic Olympic clock flanked by stoners was one of the more amusing sights of the day.Miranda Nelson
David Malmo-Levine gets vocal.Miranda Nelson
Prince of Pot Marc Emery addresses the eager crowd.Miranda Nelson
It sure is.Miranda Nelson
David Eby gives the crowd a crash course on knowing their rights.Miranda Nelson
Marc Emery greets his fans.Miranda Nelson

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Comments (22) Add New Comment
Closet smoker
Apr 21, 2010 at 4:48 pm
45 years old, great job, house, kids, closet toker.
I have always quietly applauded the 'legalize marijuana' crusade until! through a work-related meeting I spoke at length with a man involved with the RCMP drug/gang detachment and he blew me away. FACT: of all the weed grown in BC only 15% is smoked by BC'ers, the other 85% is exported for coke, heroin and arms. I lived in the West End in the '80s and SO MANY people I worked with and partied with got seriously messed up doing way too much coke...if weed is legalized we open the gates to export and more importantly, import. That just is too much of a sacrifice. Keep it the way it is.
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Realistic stoner
Apr 21, 2010 at 8:58 pm
why hand full control over to the people who currently enforce the laws against it? since when did you start caring what "the man" or "the system" thinks about why/where/when/how you toke? I am seriously starting to question the wherewithal of my fellow stoners!
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Closet Cookie Eater
Apr 21, 2010 at 9:07 pm
It should just be legal across the board, all nations all at once. Too much to ask? Of course, but it is still the right way to do it.
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come on dude.
Apr 21, 2010 at 11:01 pm
Closet smoker must not be familiar with the prohibition in the US. The 'war on drugs' has not reduced the amount of users at all while incarcerating non-violent criminals while costing taxpayers. The problem with the 'war' is that there is always someone to take over the market once someone has been taken out. This is the business of illegal substances, it's not going to change. You cannot say cannabis should be illegal if you think alcohol, tobacco, coffee (not to mention all those scary pharmaceuticals) and what not should also be illegal. Taxation and regulation my friend.
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EastVan
Apr 21, 2010 at 11:32 pm
The best thing that could possibly happen would be for ALL the "closet tokers" to grow a collective spine and take responsibility for their "habit/choice", so that the legalization movement could gain much needed credibility and political clout. All the school teachers and lawyers and dentists and letter carriers, all the bakers and candlestick makes... etc etc etc. ALL of you "closet tokers" have the blood and associated crime of the black market pot syndicates on your joints. Grow up, and take responsibility for your choices!! Hats off to the people who show up to these rally's. There should be 200,000 or more attending, because at least that many BC residents smoke weed.
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W1re
Apr 22, 2010 at 12:02 am
The last one sucked. I only hope that was the most amount of trash around the entire site. Picking up after yourselves is something you always need to do, imo get people on our side by being better than everyone else. Fuck if we're smoking a plant, we're picking up trash bitches.
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shla
Apr 22, 2010 at 10:02 am
Closet smoker, you do not get it...coke from the US is already being imported and exchanged for BC Bud - those doors are already wide open, just like they were in the 80's. Legalize it, sell pre-packaged joints in liquor stores and the black market for it goes away - and so, therefore, does some of the coke. In fact, if pot was legal, it's likely that coke use would go way down. I also want to say that if it is legalized, people should still be allowed to grow a couple of plants of their own if they want to. It's a lot of fun to grow.
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Closet Smoker
Apr 22, 2010 at 10:54 am
And no, EastVan, I will not support legalization because that means I support the import of guns and hard drugs. Thats the bottom line, I have two sh*tty choices, I take the one that kills the fewest lives.
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Closet Smoker
Apr 22, 2010 at 11:07 am
Who the frig do you think is going to be in control if there is legalization???? THE MAN, THE SYSTEM. Does it not matter that there is a direct correlation between weed and hard drugs? If there is no regulation it is so much easier for weed to be grown and sent to the US. So, do I aid and abet the Bacon brothers by standing up for legalization (which I'm sure they pray for every night)? Or do I aid and abet the Bacon brothers by, under the current laws, being a toker and contributing to their crime business?
Nice.
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Realist
Apr 22, 2010 at 1:10 pm
How wonderful, if we could motivate Vancouverites to take interest in issues such as child poverty, social housing and environmental sustainability with the same vigour and enthusiasm that they embrace cannabis perhaps things would change in this province. This would ostensibly require doing more than sitting on the couch with a joint in hand.
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urbanloggercuttindownthecity
Apr 22, 2010 at 1:56 pm
how about it.
Stand up and burn one!
I have been burnin daily for 38 yrs
I take a asprin once every couple years.
For all other problems I burn one.
If people bug me I burn one
If I am having a good time I might burn one.
Get smart people legalize it and put all the profits
into education and councling for people
with addiction problems. I travel freely and do not
have a over whelming feeling to get high. Just do not
get caught south of the boarder. They are real weird about
this 420 stuff. (you will go to jail)
Brave on my happy blazers


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ds
Apr 22, 2010 at 4:42 pm
Cops should have dealt with the 12 year old kids smoking weed with their parents.
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Former smoker
Apr 22, 2010 at 5:32 pm
Reality check, here, Closet Smoker. The Bacon brothers would not be in the business of selling legal pot, companies like Rothmans or Imperial tobacco would. Teens would no longer be able to buy it because it would be sold alongside alcohol in stores that already control the distribution of a dangerous drug - alcohol. It is easier for kids to get pot than beer because the guy selling the pot doesn't check i.d. The Bacon brothers and the H.A. have no interest in a legal marijuana industry because they wouldn't be allowed to be part of it. You cop friend couldn't be more wrong about his belief (not sure where his evidence comes from) in the trafficking of arms and drugs because of a legal marijuana industry. Criminals, like the H.A., would lose a huge part of their income and be seriously setback in their current power.
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weed is so 80's
Apr 22, 2010 at 6:36 pm
Strong medical correlation between schizophrenia and marijuana use. This ain't your Dad's weed from the Sixties folks, it's a totally unnatural genetic variation that is a completely different drug. For those who don't see anything wrong, I encourage you to conduct a little objective research (for your benefit, not mine).
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cameronjamesmcarthur@live.co.uk
Apr 23, 2010 at 12:18 am
I AM BORED OF HEARING THIS AIN' T THE LOW QUAL SHIT YOUR DAD USED. THAI STICKS ,SOME CAMBODIAN ,VIETNAMESE AND OTHERS HAD HIGH THC COMPARABLE TO TODAY'S DESIGNER STUFF. EVEN MEXICO,ALBEIT RARELY, HAD GOOD GEAR. AND LET US NOT FORGET STP DMT MESCALINE AND 500mic LSD. WE DID NOT NEED IPODS SONNY!
LEGALIZATION WILL COME AS SOON AS OUR POLITICAL SCUM LEARN THROUGH POLLING THAT IT WILL ELECT THEM ...10 YO 15 YEARS I RECKON........regards cam
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Former Toker
Apr 23, 2010 at 7:26 pm
I agree with Realist. It's amazing how many Vancouverites will get together and rally for the legalization of our dearest mary jane, and yet couldn't give two shits about other great concerns in our world.

Seeing the take-out cup trash photo gives me these facts for you:
Fact: the largest man made structure in the world is not a building, it is a garbage heap in New York.
Fact: the largest garbage heap is not in new york, it is under the atlantic ocean where other's trash has been sucked into a giant pile at the bottom of the sea.

But hey, who cares right? LEGALIZE SUM POT MUTHA FUCKAS!

Cause it's a much better cause worth coming together for.
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Actively Educating for Legalization
Apr 24, 2010 at 11:50 am
On page 3 of the photos, the "Annual Deaths" sign...I MADE THAT!
I made it on Monday, brought it with me downtown and stuck it in the ground at a central busy location. I am so happy that someone took that picture so now it can help educate people online and reach thousands of people.
The fact is MARIJUANA IS SAFE! It is safer than the mcdonalds hamburger that you're going to eat which contains almost no real sustenance and is riddled with growth hormones, pesticides and quite possibly ecoli.
Marijuana is also proven to attack and kill cancer cells while leaving healthy cells in peace...what man-made drug can do that, while leaving you happy and relaxed and with an appitite!
Educate yourselfs and others! Remember the 6 levels of seperation and spread the truth about Marijuana TODAY!
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Birdy
Apr 25, 2010 at 1:44 am
re: "Strong medical correlation between schizophrenia and marijuana use. This ain't your Dad's weed from the Sixties folks, it's a totally unnatural genetic variation that is a completely different drug. For those who don't see anything wrong, I encourage you to conduct a little objective research"

-The alleged schizophrenia connection is, at best, a feebly documented conspiracy theory.
-It's not a different drug it's just more potent. C21H30O2 = C21H30O2 = C21H30O2
-I encourage you to actually talk to an experienced senior psychiatrist about how marijuana and brains work instead of regurgitating "facts" from American and British big pharma funded anti-pot websites.
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beelzebub
Apr 25, 2010 at 12:41 pm
"On page 3 of the photos, the "Annual Deaths" sign...I MADE THAT!"

Goody for you, now provide a link to an independant peer reviewed research paper that supports your proposition that: "The fact is MARIJUANA IS SAFE! " and: "Marijuana is also proven to attack and kill cancer cells while leaving healthy cells in peace..."
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pot boy
Apr 27, 2010 at 6:15 am
alcohal has a terriable record from car deaths to there goes my liver, seagrams made billions from trafficing it to the us ,legalise it and sell it like cigaretts in liquer stores.
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