CU’s 4/20 pot smoke-out draws crowd of 10,000 to Norlin Quad
Police issue zero tickets during annual marijuana celebration
By Vanessa Miller (Contact)
Updated 11:26 p.m., April 20, 2008
OVERHEARD:
"People are getting out their best pot and hippie clothes today." -- CU freshman Emily Benson, 19
"I'm not smoking this year. My boss told me not to come back stoned." -- An employee for Bova's Pantry and Ice Cream, who didn't want to be named, but said he took his hour break to join the celebration
"It's 4:33. It took me 13 minutes to get rid of them. Wow." -- CU junior Max Lichtenstein, 21, said about the 126 Rice Krispies Treats he passed out at Sunday's event
"You can call him, but he's probably really high and won't be able to find his phone." -- One man said to his friend while leaving the Norlin Quadrangle.
BOULDER (AP) -- A crowd of about 10,000 people collectively began counting down on the University of Colorado's Norlin Quadrangle just before 4:20 p.m. Sunday.
Yet the massive puff of pot smoke that hovers over CU's Boulder campus every April 20 -- the date of an annual, internationally recognized celebration of marijuana -- began rising over the sea of heads earlier than normal this year.
"Oh forget it," one student said, aborting the countdown to 4:20 p.m. and lighting his pipe early. He closed his eyes, taking a deep, long drag.
"Sweet."
Although it's become an annual and renowned event at CU, this year's 4/20 celebration was different in some ways than in many previous years: The crowd was so large it migrated from the long-traditional site of Farrand Field to the larger Norlin Quad; festivities kicked off earlier than normal with daytime concerts; and CU police handed out zero citations.
“At this point, none are anticipated,” said CU police Cmdr. Brad Wiesley.
