Vancouver 4/20 events set to go ahead despite concerns

Two major unsanctioned 4/20 events are set to take place in Vancouver Thursday, once again prompting a conversation about what those gatherings should look like.

Organizers and a city official feel differently about the events.

One Vancouver Park Board commissioner feels it’s time for the people putting together these events to play by the rules, with one event set for Sunset Beach, and another going ahead at Thornton Park.

From the smoke to disruptions to various facilities, Green Party commissioner Tom Digby says it’s his belief it’s time for 4/20 to transition to become a celebration working within the system — rather than an unsanctioned events labelling themselves as protests.

“A lot of people are quite upset that this event is taking place and I’m concerned about that myself,” he told CityNews Wednesday.

“My great concern is that a lot of neighbours really are unhappy with these events taking place and you can see why. There’s often a great deal of smoke at these events, careless smoke that can be quite serious. A while ago, they had to actually close down the swimming pool at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre because the smoke was overwhelming, it was getting in.”

---

Related articles: 

• Two 4/20 events planned for Vancouver

• City council attempts to make Vancouver a more fun city

---

Digby says he’s heard directly from some concerned Vancouverites, adding, “there have been quite a few strongly worded emails about why is this going forward. The staff is very alert to these concerns as well.”

However, Neil Magnuson, who is an organizer with the 4/20 event at Thornton Park, has a different view.

“4/20 is about weed but it’s always been about the problems with prohibition to do with any of those drugs. There really needs to be no criminal law used against individual sovereign beings that would choose to use some sort of a drug or something to try and deal with their issues,” he said.

“We’re still very marginalized as a community of cannabis consumers here and that’s why we need to continue to protest.”

The Government of Canada legalized and regulated cannabis on October 17, 2018. But Magnuson says there are still several issues, mainly around regulation.

“Cannabis that should be inexpensive, is not inexpensive and it’s out of reach. For the most vulnerable people that need it the most are the ones that can’t access it because of the prohibitive cost but also because of the other barriers, especially for medical users who are forced online,” he explained, adding he’d like the decision to set prices taken out of the hands of the government.

“It eliminates access to the people who need to use it daily, the poor people, the sick people. And during a public health emergency of an overdose crisis, those people who would otherwise use cannabis high-dose edibles to get off of the hard drugs, they’re also left out in the cold,” Magnuson added.

Vancouver 4/20 events both pre and post legalization have seen thousands of people attend. The large gatherings have led to damage to grass and also raised concerns about the mess left behind.

But organizers of the event planned for Sunset Beach are promising to return the area “to its normal state once we’ve left,” adding they’ve been in touch with the city and Park Board through multiple meetings.

“They’ve addressed their concerns and we’ve assured them on many occasions that we will fix any damage to the grass,” an email from Rachel Fraser, vice president, World Cannabis, reads.
“We’ve also organized a beach cleanup on the 21st to fully clean the area we’ve used as a venue in this protest. It’s unfortunate that this information is not being received well, but we have assured every member we’ve been in contact with that the beach will be returned to its normal state once we’ve left.”

Fraser goes on to say the group fully intends “to follow through on these promises, and will not prove otherwise in the coming days.”

Magnuson is also pledging damage won’t be an issue at the Thornton event.

In anticipation of this year’s events, the Vancouver Park Board says it has taped off some sections of Sunset Beach and put up barriers around some trees and light posts.

As for the question of whether parts of the park should be fenced off, the board says that comes with its own issues.

“Two main concerns are that fencing could be removed, rendering it useless, and it can present a safety risk if people get hurt trying to remove the fencing and/or use pieces of the fencing in a dangerous manner,” a statement reads.

“Turf damage is always a concern for large scale gatherings such as this and we have expressed this to the organizers. Some protective measures are underway, such as additional garbage and recycling totes to encourage responsible disposal of garbage and trees are being sectioned off for their protection. A detailed site assessment will take place post-event.”

Despite promises from organizers, Digby says he’d like to see fines issued for these unsanctioned events.

“Why has this event not transformed into a celebration? A celebration that respects the fact that cannabis is fully legalized in Canada now and for some reason there’s a hard core that feels they have to continue to protest,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Vancouver Police Department says it’s working with the city and Park Board “to ensure safety and mitigate disruptions.”

“This is one of 800-plus protests and marches that are likely to happen in Vancouver this year, and while it has drawn large crowds in the past there’s rarely any violence associated with it. We expect to have extra resources assigned, as we would with any significant protests or gathering,” a statement reads.