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U.S. NEWS Friday 21 april 2017

American Living:
Pot fans observe 4/20 holiday with smoke-outs, high hike

GENE JOHNSON the annual bacchanal on
Associated Press Hippie Hill in San Francisco’s
SEATTLE (AP) — From Capi- Golden Gate Park.
tol Hill to Hippie Hill, mari- Though there were plen-
juana enthusiasts observed ty of nighttime events
their 4/20 holiday Thursday planned, about two dozen
with public smoke-outs, pot fans in the Los Ange-
parties and, yes, great les area opted for a morn-
deals on weed. Before the ing celebration, gathering
clock even hit 4:20 p.m., around 9 a.m. at a trail-
there were arrests in the head in the Altadena foot-
nation’s capital, as police hills for “High’ke,” a 2.5-mile
took seven people into cus- trek that promised joints
tody at a demonstration to everyone who made it
that involved handing out to the 5,600-foot peak of
joints to congressional staff. Mount Lowe.
Pot fans in Los Angeles went Anna Acosta, 49, said she
for a cannabis-fueled hike, hoped to revel in the “ca-
and in Portland, Maine, a maraderie of being out in
local author spent the af- nature with a bunch of na-
ternoon giving away more ture-loving, tree-loving, like-
than 200 grams of marijua- minded people.”
na to a long line of fans. Pot shops in some legal
marijuana states were of-
The annual celebration Customers gather around a counter to take advantage of special deals celebrating the 4/20 holi- fering discounts. In Alaska,
day at ShowGrow, a medical marijuana dispensary in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday, April
of cannabis culture gave 20, 2017. From Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., to Hippie Hill in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, though, regulators put a
activists an opportunity to marijuana enthusiasts observed their 4/20 holiday Thursday with public smoke-outs, parties and, damper on promotions,
reflect on how far they’ve yes, great deals on weed. warning retail shops about
come — recreation- (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) an “alarming amount of so-
al use of marijuana is now to the use of harder drugs” Nevada, Maine and Mas- ical marijuana. cial media advertisements
legal in eight states and the — a view long held by drug sachusetts, which joined In California, which voted for 4/20 celebrations” that
nation’s capital — and on warriors despite scant evi- Alaska, Colorado, Oregon to legalize marijuana last violate state rules against
the national political tone, dence of its validity. and Washington as states fall, tens of thousands of certain activities, such
with Trump administration This year’s 4/20 party fol- that allow recreational people were expected at as games or competi-
officials reprising talking lows successful legalization marijuana. More than half events ranging from mari- tions, that encourage pot
points from the heyday of campaigns in California, of all states now allow med- juana cooking classes to sales.q
the war on drugs.
“We’re looking at an attor-
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