Photos: 420 marijuana celebration in Vancouver

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      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.

      Comments

      22 Comments

      Closet smoker

      Apr 21, 2010 at 4:48pm

      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.

      Realistic stoner

      Apr 21, 2010 at 8:58pm

      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!

      Closet Cookie Eater

      Apr 21, 2010 at 9:07pm

      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.

      come on dude.

      Apr 21, 2010 at 11:01pm

      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.

      EastVan

      Apr 21, 2010 at 11:32pm

      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.

      W1re

      Apr 22, 2010 at 12:02am

      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.

      shla

      Apr 22, 2010 at 10:02am

      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.

      Closet Smoker

      Apr 22, 2010 at 10:54am

      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.

      Closet Smoker

      Apr 22, 2010 at 11:07am

      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.

      Realist

      Apr 22, 2010 at 1:10pm

      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.