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Vancouver school board ensures highest number of 420 attendees to date at the Vancouver Art Gallery
Now, I'm not gonna ID you or anything, but I'm pretty sure I have clothing older than you.
Miranda Nelson
I'd like to thank whoever it was at the Vancouver school board that scheduled a professional development day on April 20 for at least a dozen high schools and the majority of elementary schools in the city; District 43 (Coquitlam) also held a district-wide non-instructional day. I would imagine the thousands of Lower Mainland students not in classrooms were the primary reason that this year it felt like the demographics skewed awfully young.
It was distressing to watch two 12-year-olds debating which kind of pot cookies to buy. I absolutely love the free-market aspect of 420, and I support an adult's right to use the medicine that they want to use, to responsibly enjoy their vices. But that's one of the real downsides to an unregulated industry: you can't ensure that people are as safe as they possibly can be, and you can't prevent children and teenagers from purchasing it.
Pro-legalization isn't pro-stupidity. I'm not in favour of underage drinking, and I'm not in favour of tweeners using marijuana, especially edibles (which you must be very careful about dosing correctly, especially if they come from a source you've never used before) and especially in such an atypical situation (never try pot for the first time at a pot rally).
The key to responsible drug use is education and common sense. Were people ID'd before buying product? Was there any kind of standardized dosage in edibles? Did the pamphlets handed out by vendors contain information about their product or about marijuana dosages and effects?
In order for the legalization of cannabis to be accepted—hell, even just tolerated—by mainstream society, it's going to need to rehab its image.
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Photos: 420 marijuana festival takes over the Vancouver Art Gallery
{/sidebar}Most people still see pot smokers as lazy fucking hippies, drains on society, rebellious children who aren't interested in anything beyond a temporary high. While the demographic attracted to 420 at the art gallery is a very diverse one, seeing thousands of school-aged kids there on the evening news does nothing to improve the image of marijuana in the eyes of parents, does it? Really, it kind of makes the movement look irresponsible. (And parents, quite frankly. Do you know where your kid was on Friday?)
The majority of cannabis users I know are some of the most intelligent, thoughtful, passionate individuals I've ever met. They know the issues, they respect the plant, and they do their part to help educate others. They are not passive stoners. They are not criminal masterminds.
Whatever this year’s event was is no longer what it is. It attracts far too many people to permanently remain in the area it occupies, it's a massive inconvenience for commuters, and it's a mess of confusion on the ground. There's a whole year until 420 takes place again; that's plenty of time to make a concerted change in location, scope, funding, whatever needs to happen to either bring this event back to its roots or acknowledge the change that has occurred and adapt accordingly.
Besides, April 20 is a Saturday next year, which means not one Lower Mainland student will be sitting in a classroom; where do you think they're gonna be?
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The difference between these two options lies in regulation and corporate control of pot. Regulate it so access is restricted to those of age, and regulate how marijuana is produced and sold. Set limits or bans on chemical additives and narcotics mixed into it. Another thing is to make it taxable. Independent growers won't pay taxes unless they have to get a license to produce or sell. That way it will cripple organized crime and actually contribute to our economy. Any other way and we're looking at a disaster.
Oh totally, I agree, our hyper-regulated alcohol industry has worked so well right? All those rules about not drinking in public, ID checks at liquor stores etc, it's really worked flawlessly.
I mean, it's not like every park in this city is filled with drunk 15 year olds, every single Friday and Saturday night. Oh, they are? Hrm... well at least they're as safe a possible right? Oh, they're not? They're stabbing each other and shit? Hrmm.... Well at least they're not exposed to endless pro-alcohol messages on TV. Oh yeah... they are. But at least the government gets to tax alcohol. You know, to pay for war and fake lakes. That's a good thing right?
Yup, government regulation has clearly proven itself a massive undeniable success. Almost as awesome as prohibition. Both systems work really, really well, because they involve initiating the use of force against peaceful people who have harmed no one...
And as we all know from our government schooling, the use of force, violence, kidnapping, caging and fines to solve complex social problems always works beautifully. Yup, you always get what you want when you use force, and it's not the same as bullying if you wear a government-provided authoritarian hat while you do it.
While it's absolutely true that regulation cannot wholly prevent young people from partaking in substances, it is a deterrent for some. As well, you can pretty much guarantee that the liquor these teenagers are drinking in the park isn't going to immediately kill them or make them go blind. In the days of alcohol prohibition, there were no safety standards for bathtub hooch and the product could be fatal if consumed. Government regulation ensures that there are some standards for a product; that's not a bad thing, is it?
While I think laws around alcohol are antiquated in this province in many ways, I'd rather have it be regulated by the government and ensure that it is as safe as possible for those consuming it.
The law says it's illegal to sell alcohol to people under 19. Chances are the majority of teenagers aren't buying their liquor from stores directly. There's a middleman--whether it's an adult buying it for them or they are stealing it. So I have to ask, where are these kids' parents? Why are they not being monitored by a responsible adult?