weed

420 Vancouver 2016 // Sunset Beach

April 20, 2016 - Perhaps one of the most controversial and infamous events in Vancouver is the annual 420 protest, a peaceful congregation of marijuana reformists and supporters.  The event itself has moved from the Vancouver Art Gallery to Sunset beach due to its open-nature and lesser proximity to major downtown roads.  Peak estimates ranged from a conservative 25,000 as quoted by the VPD to 50,000 as noted by SensibleBC spokesman, Dana Larsen.

An estimated 25,000 - 50,000 people ended up showing for Vancouver's annual 420 event.

187 booths lined the seawall providing a plethora of cannabis products including but not limited to flowers, plants, joints, edibles, dabs and other paraphernalia.  Unsurprisingly, many psychedelics which are often associated with stoner culture were present including LSD, psilocybin, salvia and DMT.  Free joints and dabs were also abundant, especially when 4:20PM hit.  Many of the vendors were encouraged by Vancouver Coastal Health's chief medical officer, Patricia Daly to not sell edibles to minors due to the slow onset of effects and easy over-consumption, something that many of the organizers had agreed with.

Weed edibles including brownies, cookies and rice krispies were available for purchase.

Despite this, medical incidents were bound to happen - especially with the high April temperatures and lack of public water fountains.  A mere 16 participants were admitted to St. Paul's Hospital, located downtown for the usual symptoms: dizziness, nausea and paranoia. A total of 25 incidents were reported by the VPD by 8PM (a major decrease from 100+ in 2015). Firefighters and police officers were on the scene as well - not making arrests due to the large scale, but rather for public safety and coordinating traffic at nearby intersections.  The City of Vancouver stated that last year, taxpayer costs for these services cost an approximate $93,000.

Many police officers, among paramedics and firefighters spent the day promoting public safety.

Another major concern of the public was the abundance of youth who had skipped school to attend the event, even prompting the Vancouver School Board to make a PSA to faculty, students and parents.  Concurrently, the current Minister of Health, Jane Philpott had announced in the House of Commons that legalization bills would be announced in the Spring of next year.  She had stated that she is "proud to stand up for our drug policy that is informed by solid scientific evidence and uses a lens of public health to maximize education and minimize harm."  Where the industry will take its course after legalization remains up in the air - will it become regulated by the state or will the private sector prevail?  Regardless, tax dollars are to be made as illustrated by earlier examples in states like Colorado, which was on track to make $125 million in 2015 - which could be sent to harm reduction, education and other public services.

Rest of the footage below:

 

 

4/20: Vancouver

A few weeks late, but I figured it could make for an interesting read!

Vancouver itself has a unique take on Marijuana and the laws that surround it.  On the federal level, the drug itself is illegal, whereas locally, it takes more of a decriminalized state.  Arrests and charges are often laid upon those caught trafficking, particularly in and from the United States.  To make matters complicated, the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) have made it a priority to focus on more violent crime, or more illicit drugs and often turn a blind eye to the group of stoned teenagers or a otherwise "good" citizen lighting one up.  Because of this, medicinal dispensaries have been popping up all throughout Vancouver, and now surpass the number of Tim Hortons (an icon of Canadian culture, for all of you outside the country) in the city.  

I decided for myself that I would make the trip downtown and integrate myself into the "stoner" community and mindset, and see what the yearly "protest" was all about.  It was crazy to see not only marijuana and THC (the main psychoactive ingredient) being sold in its variety of forms (edibles, tinctures, joints, blunts, drinks, concentrate) but also a variety of psychedelics including acid blotters, magic mushrooms and ayahuasca.  My main concern of the event is perhaps the lack of constant cleanup, an issue that has been noted by the City in previous years.  But overall, the sense of calm and community was astounding to see.  By the end of the day, estimates said that approximately 20,000 people had shown up.

I won't get too political in this blog (it is a photo blog, after all) but I've previously had doubts about burnouts in high school, and that marijuana in itself can make a society lazy.  Obviously, like any stereotype, some of it holds true but through my observation and social networks is that the majority of users are normal people that partake in it like they do alcohol.  They're people across all demographics with varying educations, family backgrounds and so forth.  Studies across have proven that marijuana is less harmful than most drugs out there, and I believe that with the right regulation and legislation, the stigma attached behind the drug will eventually ease with time.  Everything in moderation!

Below is a glimpse of the day downtown: