Ask a Stoner: Why All the Fighting Over the 420 Rally?

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Dear Stoner: Why all the attention and bickering over the 4/20 Rally? It’s an unorganized, lame event for unorganized, lame pot smokers. I like toking, too, but why can’t we just move on?
Chuck

Dear Chuck: For some, legalizing retail pot in 2012 wasn’t the end of the fight. Many of the activists you can thank for getting Colorado cannabis to where it is today are still unsatisfied with state and federal laws concerning overregulation, possession, plant counts, home extractions and many other issues. These are the people who actually want to rally, not sell shitty stickers and T-shirts and leave their trash at Civic Center Park.

click to enlarge

Colorado's capital of cannabis needs something 420-friendly on the big day.

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That said, 4/20 is also a celebration of cannabis and how it brings users together. While the rally can use some improvements — and I certainly wouldn’t argue with anyone who says they don’t want to go — I can understand why it’s still a big deal to local enthusiasts. Remember: Cannabis consumption is illegal in open and public spaces in Colorado. The idea of a massive, public, fuck-you cloud of smoke aimed at The Man still makes me smile.

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