Pubdate: Wed, 22 Apr 2015
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2015 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Authors: Bethany Lindsay, Tiffany Crawford, and Kelly Sinoski
Page: A1

IS 4/20 VANCOUVER A PROTEST, OR JUST A FARMER'S MARKET FOR MARIJUANA?

Vancouver's annual 4/20 rally has evolved into a giant farmers' market
for marijuana and attracts tens of thousands of people. So why don't
the organizers have to go through the city's official permitting process?

A city spokesman says officials have repeatedly suggested organizers
obtain a special event permit for the gathering at the Vancouver Art
Gallery, but to no avail. Despite the increasingly commercial flavour
of the day, the rally is still considered a protest.

The demonstration led to the closure of portions of Robson and Howe
streets, causing traffic congestion throughout the downtown core, and
was connected to dozens of emergency room visits. The VAG shut its
doors for the day.

The lack of permits has been a "long-standing concern" for the
Downtown Business Improvement Association, says the group's president,
Charles Gauthier.

"They in essence hide behind the concept that this is a protest and
it's not an event or festival. It's a source of frustration for us,"
Gauthier said. "What we have is public space that's being
commercialized and there are companies that are making money from
being on that site. It appears to be a double standard for an event
like this versus other events that pay for all of or some of
engineering and policing costs."

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson said the city can't force the 4/20
organizers to get permits because they're hosting a demonstration and
not an event or festival.

"It's difficult given the scale of that protest and how organized it
is," Robertson said. "The city is dealing with it as a demonstration.
This is the largest we have. I know it's frustrating for people whose
lives are disrupted by that."

However, he added the city and police will seek ways to address the
situation ahead of next year's rally, saying this was "well beyond
what was expected" and highly disruptive. An estimated 20,000 people
attended the protest, he said, which has "outgrown its footprint" at
the art gallery. The city closed Robson Street Monday morning over
fears attendees would stumble into traffic and get hit.

Some other cities with large 4/20 events do require organizers to
obtain permits.

In Denver, where recreational marijuana use is legal, a state park
permit was needed to hold 4/20 festivities that attracted thousands,
and a special events permit was needed for an annual two-day pot
festival held over the weekend. Police also ticketed pot smokers
because toking up in public remains illegal.

In Winnipeg, organizers obtained a parade permit to march through city
streets, as well as a "use of street" permit to sell raffle tickets.

Vancouver's rally is organized by a team from the Cannabis Culture
organization that includes activist Jodie Emery.

When asked why the organizers don't obtain a permit for 4/20, she had
a succinct answer: "The reason 4/20 can't get permits is because it is
an illegal event with hundreds of people selling marijuana."

She went on to explain that a special event permit would simply be too
expensive. "I do have an email outlining what you would need to meet
it - million dollar insurance and all of that. We can't afford it,"
she said.

Other big events are able to cover the cost because they have
corporate sponsors. Last year, for example, TD Bank sponsored Pride
and Honda backed the Celebration of Lights fireworks festival. Unless
marijuana is legalized, Emery has strong doubts that any large
business would be interested in funding 4/20.

The organizers allowed about 100 vendors to book space ahead of time
in exchange for a $250 donation, while the rest of the space was
provided for free on a first-come, first-served basis.

Proceeds from those donations go to covering the cost of holding the
rally, which includes hiring security personnel, renting fencing and
25 porta potties, paying for radios to communicate with police and
paramedics, and erecting two stages for entertainment. In all, 4/20
cost more than $20,000 for the nonprofit group, Emery says.

Organizers don't pay the city's policing or cleanup costs, although
they did help city workers clear away the trash. A city spokesman said
it was too early to estimate the full cost, which would include
policing, traffic enforcement and sanitation.

Emery said the city has asked her group to look into helping pay for
policing costs, but she argued the rally is relatively problem-free
compared to the annual fireworks in English Bay.

Vancouver police spokesman Sgt. Randy Fincham confirmed there were no
significant police incidents of note this year.

Emery also acknowledged that the size of 4/20 has become a bit out of
control in recent years, saying that it's causing "massive" traffic
problems.

She said organizers wanted to move this year's rally to the grounds of
the Vancouver Convention Centre, which has a much bigger capacity and
is situated away from major traffic arterials, but city officials
turned down that request.

Some concerns have also been raised about the health impacts of
unregulated marijuana sales.

A total of 64 people who attended 4/20 - or about 0.3 per cent of all
participants - were treated at St. Paul's Hospital on Monday. All but
two of those were for marijuana-related complaints, including nausea,
vomiting, heart palpitations and partial loss of consciousness.

"It does appear that a lot of them had eaten the marijuana in the form
of either cakes or smoothies or cookies," Providence Health spokesman
Dave Lefebvre said.
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MAP posted-by: Matt