Pubdate: Thu, 21 Apr 2016
Source: Windsor Star (CN ON)
Copyright: 2016 The Windsor Star
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/501
Author: Dalson Chen

YEARS LIKELY TO PASS BEFORE MARIJUANA LEGISLATION INSTITUTED

Higher Limits was a busy place on Tuesday, with a full schedule of
activities in recognition of 4/20. During the day, workshops were held
on joint-rolling mastery and bong-crafting innovations.

Troy, a Detroit-raised man who didn't want to give his last name,
demonstrated how to make bongs out of fruit. It only took him 15
minutes to make a cannabis-smoking device out of a watermelon - which
quickly attracted a lineup of tokers.

"Fruit is nice because it gives you creative freedom," said Troy, who
works for the government. "You're getting a lot of flavour into the
mix, as well. Kind of an infusion of flavour into the weed smoke
itself. And, of course, it's always a party pleaser."

Other fruits that Troy found to be useful as bong material: apples,
pineapples, papaya and lemons.

Jonah Komon, a 22-year-old Windsor resident, described Philpott's
announcement as "a tremendous step forward for Canada on the world
stage."

Komon said he needs medical marijuana to deal with his back problems:
He was diagnosed with spinal dysraphism a couple of years ago. "It's a
term for a broad spectrum of ailments in the spine. I have it in the
L4 and L5 section of my spine, where it causes sporadic nerve pain,"
Komon said.

"( Cannabis) relieves severe pressure and sudden pain that I
experience throughout the day, which normal treatments such as
Tylenol, Advil, and so forth do not help with."

Cody Bueckert, another medical marijuana user with back issues,
believes legalization is inevitable. "I think it's about time. It
should have been done a longtime ago. I don't think there should be
any laws on marijuana. It's a plant. It's just like roses that grow in
a garden."

Fellow user Miranda Hart, 27, believes regulation of marijuana would
be good for the economy: generating tax revenue, creating jobs, and
even attracting tourism. "Canada could become a capital for pot tourism."

But Liedtke cautioned against celebrating very hard this early in the
process: It will likely take years for federal marijuana legislation
to pass into law, there remain looming challenges for places like
Higher Limits at the provincial level, and the Controlled Drugs and
Substances Act stands unchanged.

"There are still people getting arrested for it. A moratorium on
arrests is very necessary," Liedtke said.

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[sidebar]

Why 4/ 20?

No, 4/ 20 is not Bob Marley's birthday. He was born Feb. 6. Although
the numbers 4/ 20 are widely recognized as holding significance in
cannabis culture, the exact reason why remains hazy. We asked
customers and staff at downtown Windsor's Higher Limits their opinions
on the origin of 4/ 20.

Miranda Hart: "I think it was when some people got together, and it 
went from there. A group of people just thought it would be a good 
time. I have no idea, to be honest."

Cody Bueckert: "I ended up doing a little bit of research, just out 
of curiosity. From what I could find out, it came out of a really 
small town somewhere, I think in the mid-1970s. A group of kids 
wanted to go find a grow-op that was supposed to be near their town. 
So they met up by this statue at a government building, and they 
smoked some, and they were too baked to go find the grow-op. So they 
just kept coming back to that same statue. And their time was 4:20 p. m."

Alex Newman: "One story is that it has to do with police codes in 
California, I think. "We got a 4- 20" means it's a possession charge, 
and it just caught on. I think there are some other urban legends, 
too.... ( A real answer) might not actually exist. It might be one of 
those things where it just happened."

Jon Liedtke: "There have been suggestions that after school, a group 
of stoners would meet up at 4: 20 p. m. I think that's when their 
detention ended.... Honestly, for me, it's not about the origin 
story. It's just the fact that this is the day the cannabis community 
comes together. It's a day that's recognized." 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D