POT SMOKERS RALLY FOR LAW CHANGE

It was a marijuana love-in on City Hall grounds Saturday.

About 250 people gathered in celebration of four20 -- the
international code for smoking marijuana. Crowds of teens passed
around joints with nary a police officer in sight.

The global event is meant to show solidarity for legalizing marijuana.
The openly public demonstration, held within easy walking distance of
city RCMP headquarters, still had several teens shy away from talking
to the media or having their pictures taken.

But Phil, 17, of a nearby town, said he'd like to see more media cover
the Red Deer event because he's all in favour of pot smoking.

'It's not really bad,' he said. 'It's a herb.'

One stoned teen sat on the steps of City Hall while his friend took a
drag from a pipe.

'If alcohol is legal, then this should be legal,' he said.

Rob Nolan, 19, of Red Deer, came down to hang out with his pot-smoking
buddies.

'It's probably not good for me,' he said. 'But it passes the time.
It's an addiction, but not a severe addiction. It's fun. With alcohol,
you can get just hammered but with smoking pot, you can still be coherent.'

Nolan figures the day when people gather at 4:20 p.m. on 4/20 -- a
day also known as Stoner's New Year -- is a good way to gather
awareness toward legalizing marijuana.

'It's to express ourselves,' he said.

The 4/20 event is believed to be traced back to a common police radio
code for 'pot smoking in progress.'

The coined term doesn't always catch on with the mainstream public.
Red Deer North MLA Mary Anne Jablonski was caught off guard when she
noticed the gathering across the street from her office. She walked
over, thinking it was a rally over the provincial government's
handling of education.

City Councillor Morris Flewwelling said elected leaders haven't
formally discussed the event. He noted the city has policies regarding
the use of city parks.

'The (organizers) would have to apply for a permit and they would
never get it because this is an illegal activity,' he said.

Still, he noted it's an event that filters out quickly.

'It's illegal, but it's not considered to be flagrant and chronic
violation of the law,' he said. 'It happens once a year.'