4/20 SPARKS DEBATE FOR ANNUAL CU CELEBRATION

In recent years a tradition has developed for some Coloradans to celebrate
April 20 each year by smoking marijuana. Students at the University of
Colorado-Boulder began taking part in this celebration on campus in 1999.

Although the annual event is not school-sanctioned, hundreds of students
gather on CU's Farrand Field to smoke marijuana each year.

There were very few participants the first year, said Lt. Tim McGraw of the
CU Police Department. He said because the students were quiet and kept to
themselves, officers monitored the event but gave out few violations and
did little to intervene.

However, because of the dramatic increase in participants, the CU Police
Department might be cracking down on the celebration.

"Last year there were over 1,000 people, not just students, participating,
and this year we expect there to be even more," McGraw said.

Because of the growing size of the celebration, administrators at CU and
law enforcement in Boulder are now looking at ways to prevent and better
monitor CU's April 20 celebration.

"We will have an increased presence this year because of how large the
activity has become," McGraw said.

Evan Ackerfeld, the assistant director for SAFER (Safer Alternative for
Enjoyable Recreation) Choice, said he thinks the university might be doing
this to protect its image, which has recently been tarnished due to rising
alcohol use among students.

SAFER Choice is a nonprofit organization advocating for equal punishments
for marijuana and alcohol use at both CSU and CU, after five
alcohol-related deaths occurred in the state of Colorado in the fall of 2004.

"We question whether these schools care more about their image or their
students' health," Ackerfeld said. "The universities have a responsibility
to place and promote student's safety above the school's reputations."

McGraw said the university's reputation and the scrutiny it has faced over
the past year are not the reasons for the increased police presence.

"We are doing this for the safety of the students and because marijuana is
an illegal drug," McGraw said.

Erin Holben, a sophomore English major at CU, said she participated in the
celebration at Farrand Field last year and plans to do the same this year,
despite the increase in police supervision.

"It's fun and relaxing," Holben said. "It's not like everyone is getting
wasted. It's just an excuse to relax and enjoy a beautiful spring day."

Brian Hardouin, director of RamRide and former elections manager for the
Associated Students of CSU, said he has never heard of any marijuana
celebrations on April 20 in Fort Collins or at CSU.

Eric Mokler, a senior liberal arts and social sciences major, said he
believes marijuana should be legal, but he said an organized celebration
does not appeal to him.

"Marijuana should be legal; obviously prohibition of marijuana is not
working. It is, after all, God's medicine," Mokler said. "The celebration
in Farrand Field, however, seems a little pretentious to me. Smoking
doesn't make you cool. It is for personal enjoyment."

Bob Maust, the head of CU's Standing Committee on Substance Abuse, said the
university is dealing with the alcohol problem but said it is not
appropriate to bring marijuana into the problem.

"Both alcohol and marijuana are drugs," Maust said. "However, the main
problem we are facing now is alcohol."

Several theories exist as to why April 20 is a significant day for
marijuana smokers. April is the fourth month of the year, and some believe
that 4-20 relates to either a penal code for marijuana use, the number of
chemicals in marijuana or a popular time of day to smoke pot.