| A short history of 420 in Boulder |
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• The term "four-twenty" is said to have originated in 1971, in San Rafael, California • A cohort of students at San Rafael High School would gather to smoke at 4:20 near a statue of Lewis Pasteur: "Four-Twenty Lewis" became the group's salute. • The phrase was popularized by Deadheads in the ‘80's, and the notion of 420 has since sparked a counterculture holiday. History of 420 in Boulder, CO• 1990's: The tradition of 4/20 in Boulder, CO, began when a CU student posted flyers inviting fellow students to come smoke on Ferrand Field. • 2002: Officers largely monitored a crowd of several hundred demonstrators. CU officers responded to a man who passed out and hit his head on the sidewalk outside of the University Memorial Center. • 2003: Five officers, outnumbered by about 800 people, made no arrests, but did confiscate drug paraphernalia. "Because there were so many people, we decided to keep a low profile," Cpl. Jim Manzanares said. • 2004: University of Colorado Police officers made sure the 1,000+ gathering didn't get out of hand, stating it was impractical to enforce marijuana laws in connection with such a large gathering. "We don't want to create a larger issue than the one we're presented with..." Lt. Tim McGraw said.
• 2005: A large gathering of students and supporters ignored the closure of Ferrand Field to uphold their right to celebrate 420. In an effort to disperse the peaceful gathering, CU Officials and law enforcement officers turned on field sprinkler systems causing several million dollars in damage. Despite poor judgment on the part of CU, no demonstrators were ticketed or arrested on drug charges.
• 2006: Several thousand students congregated on previously-closed Ferrand Field to partake in 420 celebrations. Officers hired by CU posted 150 pictures of participants online, offering $50 rewards for positive identifications. The ID'ed students were ticketed for drug charges or trespassing on the closed Ferrand Field. The actions of the University of Colorado generated national news coverage, including live interviews on MSNBC and FOX News Channel. Ultimately, no students received disciplinary action and the University has since sworn it would never engage in such a practice again.
• 2007: About 3,000 people showed up at Norlin Quad, and police ticketed six who were caught lighting up and inhaling.
• 2008: A whopping 10,000 people traveled from all over last year to make Boulder's 4/20 the biggest peaceful gathering of marijuana smokers in the world.
• 2009: 20,000 estimated local, national, and international supporters are expected peacefully demonstrate in accordance with the National Marijuana Forum. |
