ONE LAW FOR POTHEADS, ANOTHER FOR PICNICKERS, SAYS COUNCILLOR

Police made no arrests as thousands of people gathered in Vancouver on
Sunday to smoke marijuana at a downtown rally.

But a city councillor wants pot-smoking protesters to respect the law,
anyway.

"Just because we don't like a law doesn't mean we have a right to
break it," Coun. Kim Capri said yesterday.

Inconsistencies exist in police enforcement, she said.

"If a couple want to have a picnic in the park and have a glass of
wine with their chicken salad, police will come along and pour the
wine out," she said.

"And yet we have people smoking pot en masse in public."

Vancouver police Const. Tim Fanning said officers attended the rally
to ensure public safety.

"I don't think anybody in this city would think it would be reasonable
to go in and arrest 6,000 to 12,000 people who are smoking pot," the
spokesman said.

Asked if police inaction against pot-law protesters meant people are
free to smoke pot in public in Vancouver, Fanning said police enforce
the law when drug use occurs around schools and playgrounds, causes
disorder or interferes with other people's lawful enjoyment of public
or private spaces.

Sunday's annual "4/20" rally was one of many around the world to
promote legalization of marijuana. The date matches 4:20 p.m.,
designated by some potheads as the time to get high.

Police did remove a few people who climbed scaffolding. Fanning could
not confirm whether officers recorded the event on video, but said
it's common practice to do so.