420 Vancouver

As the smoke clears from Sunset Beach

Following Saturday’s 4-20 celebrations in Vancouver, organizers and city staff are taking stock of the aftermath.

READ MORE: Should vendors, contractors, licence holders be on the hook for Vancouver 4-20 costs?

ATTENTION ALL:
          
I hope you're enjoying the sun this weekend.

I'm posting because it's just 42 days until April 20 when we celebrate 4/20 in Vancouver!

This year will be extra special for three reasons...
1. April 20 falls on a Saturday this year.
2. This is our 25th anniversary of 4/20!
3. It's the first 4/20 since legalization!

It's going to be a historic and wonderful day at Sunset Beach. I'll be there all day long, so if you see me, come and say high!
Despite local politicians trying to score political points by attacking our peaceful protest, we actually work together closely with park and city staff from all departments, including emergency services, traffic control, public health and the Vancouver police, to ensure that 4/20 is a safe, well-regulated and positive protest.

You might have seen some outrageous claims in the media that 4/20 costs the city a ton of money. The reality is very different.
Last year, 4/20 became Vancouver's only protest which covered all the civic and park costs, other than policing.

Some of the things the media has been blaming us for make no sense. For example, city and police spent over $60,000 blockading the Art Gallery last year, even though no events or protests were planned there by anyone. The Art Gallery is a long way from Sunset Beach, but the city and media still blame us for those costs!
Our 4/20 team spends over $150,000 for things like security, turf protection, fencing, staging, first aid stations, portapotties, paramedics and engineering. Plus we paid the city and park board an additional $63,000 for all of their costs in regards to traffic control, emergency services, sanitation, park remediation and so on. We also raised $8,400 for two local charities in 2018, an amount we hope to increase every year.
Every penny we raise at 4/20 goes towards paying event costs, and any extra goes to charity.

An underlying problem is that policing costs for public events have skyrocketed and become impossible to pay. Vancouver has lost several popular community events over the past few years due to high policing costs, and even the Pride Parade and Car Free Days have been on the verge of shutting down over police bills. 
Another amusing aspect is that the PNE suddenly announced that they didn't want 4/20 using their event grounds, even though we never asked to relocate to the PNE and they didn't consult with us at all. But after the PNE said a bunch of mean things about 4/20, it turns out the PNE is already hosting a 420-themed "smokin' party" at the Pacific Coliseum!

visit the OFFICIAL WEBSITE

The people who opposed cannabis legalization now tell me "it's legal now so you should cancel 4/20." But shouldn't real legalization mean more public cannabis events, instead of cancelling the most popular one in the country? Besides, 4/20 remains very much a protest! Here's an article I wrote about why 4/20 is still a protest, and some of the many things we still have to protest about.

I hope to see you on April 20 at Sunset Beach for our 25th Annual 4/20 Protest and Farmer's Market!
Thanks for reading my emails and being a true believer in the cannabis revolution.
Dana Larsen
Cannabis crusader and rabble rouser

PS: Remember the headlines last year that April 20 is a big day for car crashes? Turns out that study was totally wrong.
PPS: Click here to find out more about 4/20 or reserve a booth space.

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