VANCOUVER SENDING MIXED SMOKE SIGNALS

Some Ready for Cannabis Party As Smoking Banned in Parks

As many as 10,000 people are expected to smoke up en masse outside
the Vancouver Art Gallery today - but they won't get in trouble, it's
not tobacco.

Last night, Vancouver's park board commissioners voted unanimously to
ban smoking cigarettes at local parks, beaches and playgrounds.

Smoking marijuana, on the other hand, while illegal, is still widely
tolerated - at least on this day.

April 20, also known as 420, marks the annual day celebrating
cannabis culture and is observed around the world at rallies where
pot laws are generally not enforced.

Marc Emery, Vancouver's Prince of Pot, claimed people likely look
down on cigarettes more than marijuana because they realize tobacco
is more harmful.

But Benedikt Fischer, a professor at Simon Fraser University who
specializes in substance use and public health, said the popularity
of the rally doesn't prove we're more tolerant of smoking up.

"Even though (cigarettes are) quite a bit more dangerous ... to
public health, we'd never go so far as to make tobacco smokers
criminals, but we do with marijuana users and that's what people
disagree with," Fischer said.

"That's why you have a lot of support for these rallies."

Regardless of whether we are more tolerant of pot use than cigarette
use, 61 per cent of British Columbians feel marijuana should be legalized.

Jacob Hunter, organizer of Vancouver's pot rally, said he thinks that
number is going to continue to grow.

"Stoned people go and buy pizza and drunk people (get into fights)," he said.

Hunter said marijuana should be legalized, regulated and taxed like alcohol.

As for the gathering, he called the atmosphere "relaxed" and "friendly."

"It's like a picnic with a lot of people smoking pot," he said.

Vancouver Police Const. Lindsey Houghton said officers will be
"visible" but that they're there to ensure safety, not enforce drug laws.

"It's not our priority to intervene," he said. "There were no
problems last year and we're not anticipating any this year."

Emery, who is facing extradition to the United States for selling
marijuana seeds online, said he expected to be in a prison during
this year's rally.

"I had no idea I'd be here for Christmas, birthdays and Valentine's,
and to be here for April 20 is an exhilarating feeling," he said.