The Vancouver School Board has issued a reminder to students and parents that 4/20 is not an opportunity to take a day off from school.

The 4/20 festival and rally, to be held on April 20, is an annual event combining politics and partying related to cannabis and cannabis culture.

The notice, issued by Substance Use Health Promotion manager Art Steinmann, states that "schools report a number of students who either leave school to attend the '420' gathering, or use '420' as an excuse not to attend school that day."

"For many reasons VSB does not condone students participating in the 420 event," Steinmann states, adding that students away on April 20 will be marked as absent as on any other day.

The release also refers people to the School Age Children and Youth–Substance Use Prevention Initiative (SACY) program, run by the VSB and Vancouver Coastal Health, in collaboration with the City of Vancouver, the Vancouver Police Department, the University of British Columbia, and the Centre for Addictions Research of B.C.

The SACY webpage includes a fact sheet and advice for parents on discussing marijuana with youth.

The event will be held at Sunset Beach this year. The move of the location from the Vancouver Art Gallery plaza to the new location created controversy, which include the Vancouver park board expressing concerns.