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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Hyde Park 420: Thousands flock to London to celebrate and campaign for legalisation in annual weed festival Gabriella Clare My London Wednesday 20 Apr 2022 Thousands of Londoners have flocked to Hyde Park today to celebrate 420, the annual weed festival. The annual event is observed across the world on April 20 and one of the most popular events takes place in the London park. Every year thousands of people meet to smoke, celebrate and protest weed laws, hoping to shine a light on it’s benefits and bring awareness to the legalisation of marijuana. Despite smoking cannabis being illegal thousands of people openly celebrate 420 every year and police at Hyde Park have said they will not be arresting people for smoking or being in possession of the drug. Instead they will be asked to dispose of it. Weed fans have travelled from all parts of the UK to join in the celebrations. A 28-year-old travelled from Liverpool for the occasion. He spoke to MyLondon about his decision to come: “It’s my first 420. I’ve always wanted to come but none of my mates wanted to Don’t really have anything like this in Liverpool so I’m happy to come. I’ve been here since 11 and plan to be here till 8pm and then go home tonight.” Brothers Bioux and Urbanist came from Milton Keynes to celebrate and sell some of their artwork and t-shirts. They said: “Our friends told me about it and so thought I’d come down. The vibes are good, people are chilled out and music is good. They should legalise weed so they can have control over it, once it’s taxed it could even help get us out this recession. “I’ve been to the States when they legalised it in LA and Colorado and it worked really well with dispensaries. Everybody is just chilled. The police time when they are arresting people for carrying weed, they should be cracking down on other stuff. Lot of time being wasted on it and if they legalised it, so much more money for the economy and will help the country full stop." They added that legalisation would lead to more regulation and people would be aware of what they were smoking: “You would know what you’re getting and it would help stop people from smoking stuff and suffering from psychosis. It would be regulated and be taxed, so makes no sense to be prohibited. If you’ve got no social options and the only option you’ve got is to sell illegal drugs and make money, it leads you to a life of criminality. Therefore it gives people an easier road to criminality. It’s basically encouraging crime when it’s not legal. People care about crime and I think more serious crimes like violent, sexual assault, robbery, theft and much more important than someone having some weed.” The drug is still illegal in the UK and there are no current plans to legalise it. People found in possession could face five years in prison and/or an unlimited fine. Those who supply cannabis can face even longer in prison with a 14 year maximum - alongside the unlimited fine. If police find people in possession of the drug, officers can issue a warning or a £90 fine on the spot. Where the celebration comes from is up for debate but it is thought that 420 originated in California in 1971. High school students would meet every day at 4.20pm to smoke weed and search for cannabis plants in the woods. Eventually 4/20, or April 20, became an unofficial holiday dedicated to getting high. https://www.mylondon.news/news/west-london-news/gallery/hyde-park-420-thousands-flock-23737921
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