AT POT RALLIES, THINGS GET HAZY AT 4:20

Boulder Event Draws 10,000 - Some to Party, Some to Be Advocates

It was a warmer-than-average, sunny day in Boulder on Sunday.

And around 4:20 p.m. on the University of Colorado campus, the sky
grew unusually hazy.

Cheers erupted along with a heavy cloud of smoke as an estimated
10,000 people - mostly CU students joined by friends from out of town
and some local residents - lit up to celebrate at an annual pot-smoking rally.

Some said they were there to advocate for the legalization of
marijuana. Others - including some who came just to watch - said it
was all for fun.

"It's like, why do people drink beer on St. Patrick's Day?" said a
22-year-old "super senior" who didn't want to give his name. "It's a
holiday. Like the Fourth of July."

The number 420 is slang for marijuana. Across the country each year,
pro-pot rallies are held on April 20 or 4/20.

Though there were events all day long on the CU campus, from an art
display to live bands, the students chose 4:20 p.m. for the massive
smoke-up at Norlin Quadrangle.

A few guys played drums. Some girls danced. Beach balls and Frisbees
flew through the air.

CU police monitored the gathering, with 15 campus officers and six
Boulder County sheriff's deputies stationed around the perimeter and
directing traffic.

According to a news release, the focus was to "maintain a safe
environment and discourage potentially hazardous activities."

No citations were issued and there were no arrests, although there
were four medical incidents and two people were transported to local
hospitals, the release stated. One person was treated for a seizure,
the other for dehydration.

Most of the crowd left by 5:15 p.m., police said.

In 2005, when the event was held at Farrand Field, CU officials
turned sprinklers on the crowd. In 2006, campus officials took
pictures of attendees - then posted them online and offered a $50
reward for anyone who could identify anyone in them.

Sunday's event was organized in part by the CU chapter of the
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML.

Alex Douglas, a CU sophomore who handles public relations for the
NORML chapter, said the group tried to get the message out that
people didn't have to smoke pot to attend the rally.

"420 isn't about smoking," he said. "420 is about activism."

Douglas said CU administrators required the group to pay more than
$600 to hire seven security guards.

NORML was trying to cover the expense by giving people a chance at a
$5 drawing.

Each entrant got to guess the number of jelly beans in a jar. The 20
people closest to the correct number won a prize, ranging from a
NORML T-shirt to a plastic marijuana leaf necklace or a pipe, Douglas said.

At Norlin Quad, some were displaying an entrepreneurial spirit,
selling $15 T-shirts commemorating the event, lighters and buttons
that read "Get trippy, Boulder Colorado" and "Got Dose?"

Douglas said his group wants to get across the message that marijuana
isn't dangerous and should be decriminalized.

A smaller pro-pot rally also took place Sunday in Denver's Civic Center.