Undeterred by admonishing emails from the campus administration, thousands turned out for the annual marijuana smokefest known as 4/20 at the University of Colorado yesterday.
The crowd, estimated at around 10,000 people, waved flags, bounced beach balls, blew bubbles and twirled hula hoops while smoking their favorite plant on Norlin Quad. And at 4:20 p.m., cheers and a cloud emerged over the audience, while participants held up smartphone cameras to record the event for posterity. One T-shirt read “Colorado Puffs” and featured Ralphie the Buffalo smoking a joint.
CU officials sent an email to faculty, staff and students on April 19 discouraging students from attending and reminding the campus community that 4/20 “is not an officially sponsored university activity, and one we inherit by virtue of maintaining an open campus. We do not endorse the gathering at any level, or welcome it in any way.”
The email warned of parking and traffic congestion, possible health dangers related to smoke and the significant police presence, which was “designed to promote general safety, crowd flow and traffic control, not to engage in broad drug enforcement.”
While there was a report of a stoned driver running into a police cruiser, the event seems to have been peaceful, for the most part.
