CU'S 4/20 POT SMOKE-OUT DRAWS CROWD OF 10,000

"Nine, eight, seven ... "

A crowd of about 10,000 people collectively began counting down on
the University of Colorado's Norlin Quadrangle just before 4:20 p.m. today.

Yet the massive puff of pot smoke that hovers over CU's Boulder
campus every April 20 - the date of an annual, internationally
recognized celebration of marijuana - began rising over the sea of
heads earlier than normal this year.

"Oh forget it," one student said, aborting the countdown to 4:20 p.m.
and lighting his pipe early. He closed his eyes, taking a deep, long drag.

"Sweet."

Although it's become an annual and renowned event at CU, this year's
4/20 celebration was different in some ways than in many previous
years: The crowd was so large it migrated from the long-traditional
site of Farrand Field to the larger Norlin quad; festivities kicked
off earlier than normal with daytime concerts; and CU police handed
out zero citations.

"At this point, none are anticipated," said CU police Cmdr. Brad Wiesley.

Officers in the past have gone to great lengths to catch people in
the illegal act of smoking pot on 4/20.

In 2006, CU police dispatched undercover photographers to snap
pictures of smokers. Photos of 150 alleged offenders then were posted
on the department's Web site, and witnesses were offered $50 to
positively identify the suspects - who then were ticketed. Another
year, smokers on Farrand were doused with sprinklers.

"We can't do the same thing year after year," Wiesley said hours
before today's smoking began. "So I doubt we'll do anything like the
pictures. ... There's no way our 12 to 15 officers are going to be
able to deal with a crowd of 10,000. We just can't do strong
enforcement when we're outnumbered 700 or 800 to one."

About 15 CU officers and a half dozen deputies with the Boulder
County Sheriff's Office had a presence today among the mass of pot
smokers, who bounced giant balls and tossed Frisbees through the
haze. CU police did handle four medical-related calls for health
issues including dehydration; two people were taken to Boulder
Community Hospital.

Closer to downtown, a more "adult" 4/20 gathering also took place at
Boulder's Central Park for non-students looking to avoid the CU foot
traffic. But that event had a much smaller turnout and was mostly uneventful.

The crowd size at last year's CU gathering was rumored to have topped
5,000, Wiesley said, meaning this year's gathering drew about double.

"I guess it's not like they had to cut a 4 p.m. class to go do it,"
Wiesley said, speculating as to why so many more people showed up.
"People are not all that busy at 4:20 p.m. in the afternoon on a Sunday."

From the steps of Norlin Library, some of the thousands present said
the turnout appeared comparable to that of a peace march or protest.

"You guys need to go stand on those stairs," one girl shouted to her
friends, who were seated in a circle on the quadrangle grass. "You
don't even understand."

Smoke-out participants - thousands of whom wore green or T-shirts
promoting pot - climbed trees, played the bongos, snapped pictures
and had miniature picnics.

That, of course, after they sparked the weed they had come to smoke.

CU freshman Emily Benson, 19, of Kansas City, said she thinks the
decriminalization of marijuana will become a hot topic in the
upcoming political season, and said she felt part of something bigger
than just a smoke-out today.

"We're at the starting point of a movement," she said. "This is a
big part of the reason I applied here - for the weed atmosphere."

Although CU junior Max Lichtenstein, 21, isn't into marijuana or
smoking, he also felt today's event was a chance to do something
"bigger" than himself. He passed out 126 Rice Krispies treats with
messages attached asking that they act out against the injustices in Darfur.

"Tomorrow, when you're sober ... call the White House at
202-456-1414," the note read.

"I just like being generous and doing nice things," he said. "I'm
like a good Samaritan."

CU senior Tyler Molvig, 24, said that rather than condemning the
smoke-out, CU and the city should embrace it as a money-making opportunity.

"I mean, it's gonna happen regardless," he said.

Entrepreneur Barrett Betz, 20, conceived of the potential financial
benefit 4/20 holds earlier this year, and sold peanut butter and
jelly sandwiches, Hostess snack cakes and bottled water for a $1.

"Peanut butter and jelly!" he screamed to passersby who were parched
and eager to satisfy their munchies. "I'm doing very well."

One woman was hopeful Betz's treats were charged with some special ingredients.

"Are these magical?" she asked, only to be disappointed. "Why aren't
you selling magical ones? I mean, it's cool - but c'mon."

[sidebar]

BAKED QUOTES

Here are some comments overheard during the University of Colorado's
massive 4/20 smoke-out Sunday:

"People are getting out their best pot and hippie clothes today." --
CU freshman Emily Benson, 19

"I'm not smoking this year. My boss told me not to come back stoned."
- -- An employee for Bova's Pantry and Ice Cream, who didn't want to be
named, but said he took his hour break to join the celebration

"This is impressive. I'm a little intimidated." -- Ricardo Franklin,
19, a freshman at Colorado State University who came to Boulder for the day

"I need to go higher." -- A student who was climbing a tree while
smoking a joint

"It's 4:33. It took me 13 minutes to get rid of them. Wow." -- CU
junior Max Lichtenstein, 21, said about the 126 Rice Krispies Treats
he passed out at Sunday's event

"Go to the sidewalk. The left one. That one. Not that left. Go
right." -- A woman on her cell phone trying to meet a friend in a
crowd of thousands

"Peanut butter and jelly! Help pay for my breathalyzer tests!" -- CU
sophomore Barrett Betz, 20, who couldn't smoke pot at this year's
4/20 event because of previous legal trouble and instead decided to sell snacks

"You can call him, but he's probably really high and won't be able to
find his phone." -- One man said to his friend while leaving the
Norlin Quadrangle.