10,000 puff away at CU 4/20 celebration

The Gamera:

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. today.

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.”

And no citations:

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.

Fun stuff:

From the steps of Norlin Library, some of the thousands present said the turnout appeared comparable to that of a peace march or protest.

Comparable? Jeez, what are you people smo--oh, yeah. But that's far more than they'd get for a stupid peace protest.

This will set CU administrators' little hearts all pit-a-pat:

CU freshman Emily Benson, 19, of Kansas City, said she thinks the decriminalization of marijuana will become a hot topic in the upcoming political season, and said she felt part of something bigger than just a smoke-out today.

“We’re at the starting point of a movement,” she said. “This is a big part of the reason I applied here — for the weed atmosphere.”

One commenter observes, "I guess it explains why so many on campus listened to fake Native American wack jobs." No, it doesn't.

(via Drudge, who doesn't need the link)

Update: The Rocky weighs in.