Pubdate: Wed, 21 Apr 2004
Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB)
Copyright: 2004 Calgary Herald
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/calgary/calgaryherald/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66
Author: Deborah Tetley

POTHEADS TOKE A HOLIDAY

They skipped out of work and school early, stocked up on Doritos, 
Starburst, pizza, chocolate and rolling papers and gathered in small 
clusters at city parks, toking and talking pot.

Tuesday, or 4:20 for those "cool" enough to know, marked a celebration day 
of sorts for pot smokers.

"It's a freedom day, that's what it is," said Calgary's marijuana advocate, 
Grant Krieger, who, coincidentally, was en route to the Winnipeg provincial 
court house to contest a January pot trafficking charge. And, as fate would 
have it, Krieger's hearing was set for Courtroom 420.

"It's too bizarre, ironic," he said. "I couldn't believe it when I found 
that out. Room 420, too ironic, bizarre."

According to pot folklore, a group of California university students used 
to meet for a joint after class every day at 4:20 p.m. and the trend caught 
on, sparking a deluge of 4:20 lingo and paraphernalia. There's also the 
theory that 420 was police code for a drug bust in the 1960s.

"April 20th is when you find out who's cool and who's not," said Marc 
Emery, president of B.C.'s Marijuana Party. "It's a combination of social 
activism and partying. It's our day, those in the culture, to be cool."

In Calgary, some hemp and drug paraphernalia stores closed for the 
"holiday" while others saw a steady stream of customers.

"We're getting people in here we've never seen before and getting calls all 
day long," said Maxx Boudreau, an employee of Hemporium on 17th Avenue S.W. 
"Some of the people are new, just in it to be part of the festivities, and 
some are the diehards."

Over at Grassroots, meanwhile, a recorded message said staff was off for 
the day, celebrating 4:20.

Boudreau said the day isn't just about finding an excuse to get high.

"We're not potheads, we're regular people like you," she said. "The only 
difference is we smoke a herb that changes our view of the world."

While Boudreau expected several small gatherings across the city Tuesday, 
it won't compare to events in other cities, she said, such as the hundreds 
expected to gather on Highway 420 near Niagara Falls.

"People in Calgary are still really ignorant to pot smoking, and there is 
an anti-pot attitude here," she said. "This might educate some people, like 
any other awareness day does."

While the genesis and merits of 4:20 are debatable, one thing is not and 
that's the attitude of police, who, in Calgary anyway, were unaware of the 
day's significance.

"Never heard of it," said CPS duty Insp. Rene Bailly. "There is so much 
open pot smoking in this city anyway, it's really another day.

"We're not going to make a habit of going into parks and checking for 
smokers," he said. "But it is still against the law, and we will act if we 
receive a complaint. We're not going to make a spectacle out of a day like 
this."

There were no noteworthy pot incidents requiring police attention Tuesday, 
said night duty Insp. Ken Marchant. 
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart