Colorado decriminalized marijuana a few years ago, first for strictly "Medicinal" use, and then a few years after that, for personal recreational use.
Marijuana does not appeal to me, never has. However, I'm not about to get in the way of anyone who does find it appealing - I'm a fairly consistent "to each his own" kind of guy.
I'm also a curious guy, especially about different subcultures, and the Cannabis crowd is an extremely different subculture (to me, at least). After work today I decided to stop at the 4/20 rally being held at Denver's Civic Center Park.
Civic Center Park is where a lot of rallies and events are held in Denver. It was completed in 1919 and like most major city parks it is filled with statues, memorials, fountains, homeless people and tourists.
The park is located in the heart of Denver, surrounded by museums, the Colorado State Capitol, Denver's City and County building, and a number of other government buildings. Bordered to the west by Bannock, to the east by Lincoln (though you do have to cross Broadway to get to that end of it), and Colfax to the north, with 14th ave to the south.
The 4/20 rally is set up pretty much like The Taste of Colorado (Most cities in the US have a annual "Taste of..." event - basically a carnival of food). Booths line the paved paths that encircle and bisect the park, and there are concert stages set up at the far west and east ends that feature performances by a variety of pro-pot musicians. Didn't see Willie Nelson or Snoop Lion, though I did see a lot of guys who looked like them.
The small Greek amphitheater on the southern edge of the park, near the Denver Museum of Art, had a DJ set up in the central performance area, and people danced to the music in the large open area between the tiered seating and the stage
I arrived at Civic Center Park around 6:30 in the evening, and the crowd was fairly thin. However, I was told it had been packed for the afternoon concerts, despite the inclement weather.
The booths featured a broad range of foods and Cannabis-centric items, from handcrafted glass pipes to marijuana leaf emblazoned clothing to original works of art.
Like most subcultures there is a uniform of sorts that those who are most involved, those who make it the focal point of their lives, wear. There were plenty of vendors selling the gear here.
Some people get put off by those who are a little over-enthusiastic about the Cannabis culture, but that's how it is with most sub cultures - you have your Joe average indulger who just gets a toe wet every so often, and you have your "gotta-live-it-every-minute" indulger. Both are interesting to me from an anthropological perspective.
Cannabis centered art was a something I had never seen before. The artist, Eric Herrmann, has quite a bit of talent and has developed his skills well. He definitely knows his market, too.
Bus seen on the street as I left Civic Center Park
All told, it was an interesting excursion. All the people seemed to be enjoying themselves peacefully and following the laws governing use (No lighting up in public places, must be over 21, etc.,) though of course there was that distinctive odor hanging in the air...
4/20 in Colorado makes for an interesting weekend. Quite a few pot tourists came in for the rally (and others similar to it in venues across the Denver metro area), so I suppose it is no different than any other sales tax generating event, such as Comic-Con or the Great American Beer Fest.
However, I'm thinking it's just a matter of time before 4/21 becomes an event too...the Official Drug Testing Day for companies all over the country.
No comments:
Post a Comment