Harsh Mellow

CU Police Post 420 Pics Online, Offer $50 For Each ID’d Pot Smoker

By Courtney Lowery, 4-28-06

The campus police at the University of Colorado in Boulder have posted 150 rather damning photos of the annual 420 party at Farrand Field last week and are offering $50 a pop for identifications of the pot-smoking folks in the photos.

Lieutenant Tim McGraw said the photos were posted late Thursday evening. When word got out Friday morning, "the phones were ringing off the hook," he told New West.

By mid-afternoon Friday, 50 people had been identified, McGraw said.

The 420 party (held at 4:20 on 4/20, of course) has been an annual event for the past several years and McGraw admits, it's been a frustrating case to crack. He said this is not the first time the Police Department has gathered photos of the party and the university often threatens in the days prior to the party that photos will be taken. But this year is the first that the department has used the web for an identification tool on the party pics.

Identified students will be sent to the university's Judicial Affairs department and may face university sanctions. But, they likely won't be criminally charged, McGraw said.

As for the photographer who snapped all the up close shots of smiling, boasting smokers (and one streaking blond guy), McGraw said, "we're not describing who took (the photos) right now."
[End of article]

I have a radical idea: tell the local cops that instead of wasting resources busting those terrible criminal potsmokers, use same to bust those non-potsmoking illegal immigrants. Somehow I think they're a greater threat to national security.

Completely outrageous! The ACLU should know about this immediately.

How much money was spent and time wasted to violate these people's rights?

How many cops took photos of potheads all day instead of looking for criminals?

How much more money will be wasted encouraging fellow students to snitch each other out?

This is Boulder, by the way, where pot smoking is a birthright.

You are aware that it is not a right to smoke pot, nor is it a right to not have your picture taken while in public, don't you?

The University of Colorado police have every right to waste public money tracking pot smoking students. And the public has every right to tell the University administrators that they are complete nitwits.

EH: a suggestion...stop thinking in terms of what "rights & privileges" your government may decide to bestow upon or take away from you from time to time, and instead think about your birthright to not only disobey unjust civil laws, but to in fact overthrow an unjust and corrupt government.

Wow, I feel safer already! Good thing the police are out there protecting us; turning our neighbors against us for petty crimes.

I wonder how many students who claim their $50 were either A) At the event too, or B) will use it to buy pot.

Stitches for Snitches! As been said before, this is a serious waste of resources. Who cares if a bunch of college kids get high? What crime are the police really stopping by doing this?

"The prestige of government has undoubtedly been lowered considerably by the prohibition law. For nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced. It is an open secret that the dangerous increase of crime in this country is closely connected with this."

Albert Einstein, "My First Impression of the U.S.A.", 1921

Police in Scotland recently said they want to legalize drugs because everyone is using and its impossible to enforce.

The US needs to realize that, if anything, drugs should be treated as a medical problem and not a criminal one. A group called Law Enforcement Against prohibition, or LEAP, believes this should be done.

I'd like to see the tables turned on the masterminds of this programe. Say photos of drunken Cops at Cop bars staggering off to their cars and on to home to beat their kids or wives, before passing out and waking up drunk on the job the next day. Now that would be news eh?

Ah, CU -- the school that covered up a rape scandal with the help of the state government. Ah, CU -- the school that ran Katie Hnida off the football team.

Maybe the CU fuzz will get a real job as TSA screeners at DIA.

How are the cops going to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that is was pot in the bowl just by looing at a photo?

Think it's time to read "1984" again..

You folks are funny...I'll tell you that anybody that the campera did catch that I'd know WOULD be ID'd by me, and you know why? They'd deserve it since they didn't FREAKIN GO SOMEWHERE ELSE WHEN THEY POST SIGNS THAT THEY WILL BE TAKING PICTURES! Tools...can't believe you guys think they have a RIGHT to smoke bud in public when it ain't even legal for them to smoke it in their own apartment...I wouldn't care if they did it in their own place, but the stupidity here is so overwhelming...I'd take as much of the $50 as I could get.

I think that smoking in public was pretty stupid just for the simple fact that it is illegal, but I do think that the police could have been working rather than taking picture's of work...anyhow I would have tried to I.D. all I could to buy weed with it HA!

Mateo wrote:

"I'll tell you that anybody that the campera did catch that I'd know WOULD be ID'd by me, and you know why? "

For the court, please provide all the credentials with qualify you as a photographic identification expert.

Look an Impact this made..what about those Drinking in Public people is that not a law. Is One law suppose to be better then another? Conduct is a big question and the leaders of today world are not setting very good conduct examples. Violating the law their selves then making people think its ok to do it..This causes much unrest among the inhabitants because of law? Where is freedom going it's down the tube...

Citizens, the time to remove the governments of for and by the elite class, BIG corporations and wealthy special interest groups is upon us.

Prepare for the day to strike for freedom.

Just wait for a new set of Founders worthy of following who will guide the masses to a new era of peace, freedom, and, hopefully, at least partial prosperity.

I think that if they want to smoke a bowl or joint in public; let them. I could think of 50 ideas that a cop could be doing instead of munching doughnuts and polishing up on his/her camera skills. I mean who/what are they hurting. If you walk down a street and someone bumps into you and they are high, they are going to very passive. Now if they were drunk the would start a fight, and what is worse about the previous statment is "you know its right."

YES! 50 dollars to ID my friends, just enough to buy some dank weed.

Theirin lies the paradox.

Mateo writes: "You folks are funny...I'll tell you that anybody that the campera did catch that I'd know WOULD be ID'd by me, and you know why? They'd deserve it since they didn't FREAKIN GO SOMEWHERE ELSE WHEN THEY POST SIGNS THAT THEY WILL BE TAKING PICTURES!"

Well, that's the difference between us, then, Mateo. You apparently have a tendency to obey signs without ever thinking to wonder why they are there. I'm inferring that you'd have been the first to stop making jokes or even cracking a smile when these guys told you to: <http://kcimprov.com/missions/01.php>

If you really think that taking pictures of kids who can't be charged with anything more than trespassing on the basis of such "evidence" is a good use of your tax dollars (because McGraw himself admits that no charges will be filed, so let's not kid ourselves about who's footing the bill for those $50 rewards): this is your government, and you're welcome to it. It's no skin off my nose. I make enough money that I can afford to subsidize this kind of rubbish, but I reserve the right to point out that I really shouldn't have to, and neither should you.

Meanwhile, kids are undoubtedly looking at this page and saying to themselves, "Wow, that girl is hot, and she smokes weed. Time to get hooked up." CU-Boulder's dope dealers have to be among the world's happpier people at the moment, and they owe it all to Lt. McGraw the Crime Dog.

"Let freedom grow" -- Steve Kubby

Seems like both parties could find something more productive to do

It is a sad sad day when our own government uses financial coercion to get people to rat on their fellow neighbor. No one tried to stop anyone from doing anything, yet they blatantly took pictures of people with the intent to prosecute. Ill bet that they were needed somewhere else, yet they were there to specifically scapegoat and criminalize hundreds of peace going college students. Marijuana overdose is physically impossible, yet drinking is glamorized throughout this wonderful country, without causing the police to run around taking pictures of everyone. Where is the liberty in that? We are in the midst of a fascist takeover. "give me liberty or give me death"

FYI-
These kids stand to lose access to student loan money ... for the rest of their lives.
Read about it here:

http://www.csdp.org/news/news/heareform.htm

Not so funny.

"FYI-These kids stand to lose access to student loan money ... for the rest of their lives."

Well, probably not. No charges are being filed in this case, so the double-jeopardy HEA provisions (which require a conviction) won't go into effect. Not that those provisions aren't incredibly stupid and counterproductive, and not that they shouldn't be repealed. Thank Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN), whose ability to craft incredibly stupid and counterproductive laws knows few bounds.

The bright side is that this one dumb law has done wonders for student involvement with CSDP, which is a class act all around.

"Seems like both parties could find something more productive to do"

I agree wholeheartedly, provided that you're referring to Democrats and Republicans. :)

Wow, what a healthy, radiant bunch of kids.

If the University decides to kick them out of college, I'm sure they'll have no trouble getting jobs as dancers in strip clubs, outcall dating services, massage parlors.

They may even hit the big time, doing something along the lines of providing special entertainment to Congressmen at the Watergate.

This case provides a splendid example of what the sado-moralism of Zero Tolerance is ultimately all about, when all is said and done.

Break them on the wheel. Send them to gangland...

Ethan-
The article says the kids "likely won't" face criminal charges. That's not definite.
Seems like a waste of $ for the school to spend $50 per positive ID to slap these kids on the wrist.

Lloydyboy,

Can't be done. There's no actionable evidence that any crime is being committed here apart from trespassing, and even that's iffy. Just because it looks like they're smoking pot (and presumably are) doesn't mean that it would ever hold up in court, especially given that this sort of thing is the ACLU's bread and butter. That organization would be all over it the moment charges were filed, and they would win. Lt. McGraw knows this, the D.A. knows this, and the CU_Boulder administration know this. If they were even to try prosecuting it, they'd most likely lose even more money than that Michigan town that got a bit too overexuberant with Joe Biden's RAVE Act. This is grandstanding, jealousy of youth, and another step toward both legalization and freedom of assembly, in a state that's already starting to come around to the foolishness of the status quo.

Give me a break! If this is how law enforcement sets it priorities, it's no wonder we have terrorists flying planes into buildings. The most disgusting thing is that anyone would stoop so low as to call in to identify the students in the pictures. Sick. Sick. Sick.

Ethan-
That would be assuming the cops didn't obtain some physical evidence -- picking up roaches dropped on the ground, for instance -- that could be matched with the people in the photos.

Hey, anything's possible. I suppose I shouldn't say that it could never happen, having seen drug warriors attempt stupider things. I just find it very, very unlikely in this case.

Meanwhile, over at the United States Military Academy at West Point...

Cadets Vent at West Point After Drug Searches

By Thomas E. Ricks
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, April 28, 2006; Page A10

At least 1,000 West Point cadets demonstrated last week against the manner in which a drug search was carried out in their barracks, shouting and throwing fireworks and other objects from their windows, according to accounts of the incident.

"Hundreds of cadets were hollering obscenities out of their windows and some were throwing objects," according to an incident summary obtained by the Times Herald-Record of Orange County, N.Y., which ran an article about the incident yesterday.

The report, written by a duty officer, also stated, "It was a shameful, pitiful day" for the United States Military Academy, the official name of the institution, which trains students to be Army officers.

"A team-size element of firemen responded to the scene as cadets were throwing objects that were on fire out of the windows in Bradley Barracks," the incident report said. One cadet was reportedly hit with a jar of peanut butter but was not hurt.

The incident report also stated that "about 2,000 cadets were involved and witness to this travesty," according to the newspaper... http://tinyurl.com/oxhcl

What kind of self-respecting drug user throws a perfectly delicious jar of peanut butter, on fire or otherwise? I swear, kids these days...

Whatever.

These are like those "police abuse" stories where it goes something like "drunk man approach cops with knife. Cops tell him to drop it 5 times, man refuses too, police shoot him in the leg."

The cops told them what would happen, they weren't on the look out for cops with cameras, and now they're getting busted. Boo-hoo. Be smarter next time, hippies.

I don't see any pot. And anyone who says they do has got to be smoking something. Guess it's all on the word of the photog, but if I were any of those in the photos, I'd deny the whole thing. It's not illegal to smoke tobacco in a pipe now, is it GW?

Robert D.-
Those W.P. cadets are going to have to get used to that. I was in the army 4 years and, in that time, had to put up with at least a couple dozen such 'health & welfare inspections'. The usual drill: 3:30 in the morning a couple of MPs use a pass key to let themselves into your room; They turn on the lights; You're told to stay in your bunk while they go through your personal belongings, aided by a drug-sniffing dog; Then they escort you to the latrine where someone watches you pee in a bottle, carefully watching the urine exit your uretha.
Something people don't realize when they sign on the dotted line is that, so long as they are in the military, they live under martial law (the Uniform Code of Military Justice) -- privacy, protection from 'unreasonable search and seizure', etc. do not exist.

I can't believe how many people are worried about the "civil liberties" of a bunch of flagrant criminals.

Amazed-

1) Our drug laws are stupid.

2) Those kids weren't hurting anyone.

This gathering, and the pictures of these vibrant, young, American Activists, is so Refreshing. These kids understand that Freedom is not something you ASK for, it's something you TAKE. Cannabists have been doing this for decades, and our numbers have steadily increased, along with the exposure of the stupidity and hypocrisy of this So-Called War on Drugs, which is merely a war on American Citizens Rights. AN UN(JUST A GODDAMN PIECE OF PAPER)AL WAR!

Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!

Anybody else know of the best way to deliver comments to the CU police department (for those of you who found the CU police exercise a waste of time and priorities)? Here's an idea -

Please review your answers to the questions on the reporting form. If you wish to change or add information, please click on the "Edit Report" button below and resubmit the form. If your answers are complete, please click on the "Send Report" button below. Thank you.

What type of incident is being reported?
civil liberties violation

Where did that incident occur?
Farrand Field, 4/20

When did that incident occur?
4/20/06 4:20 PM

Do you know any of the people involved? If so, please provide as much detail as possible about these people.
Campus police, taking photographs of students smoking marijuana.

Please describe, in as much detail as possible, what happened.
Police decide to spend energy and resources focusing on marijuana use, when the true culprit on campus is alcohol, the abuse of which has actually caused deaths on campus. Citizens are scratching their heads wondering who decides the priorities for the CU police department, such as offering financial rewards for snitches.

someone should photoshop a picture of a cop and the university president smoking pot.

smoking from a bong isn't illegal. how does a picture prove the person wasn't smoking cherry tobacco?

Does anyone remember, back in the Cold War days, when our parents talked about how horrible it was to live under a totalitarian regime? How governments encouraged citizens to report other citizens? How (we heard) families were encouraged to spy? Putting photos on the web and offering payment to informers seems so...well...sinister.

tired of weakness-

"smoking from a bong isn't illegal..."

Are you sure about that? Tommy Chong got a year in a federal prison for selling glass. You can get arrested if you have a glow stick or a pacifier on you at a dance. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a law against smiling in public.

Hmm. Next year I'll be there- passing out bandana's for free and selling naked juice again. That'll foil their stupid shit. Also, remember that old saying? "Snitches get stitches, Rats get bats" ??

Take heed you pukes, if I see you snapping photos next year (I dont care if you are a pig or not) You are gunna get knocked down.

NOYB, I sympathize with the desire to vent. But violence undoes the positive values of civil disobedience. It's terribly counterproductive in terms of publicity. Aside from the brittle apologism of a few sadomoralists and fans of the informer-surveillance state, public opinion seems to be on the side of the 420 folk, as of now. Why blow that?

Pertaining to the question about pipes-

Here's a modest proposal.

I'm not much for tobacco smoking, and have never had the habit. But I think that for those who want to cut down their tobacco addiction or quit, using a one-hit pipe and holding the smoke as long as possible would probably siginificantly cut down on the amount of harmful material ingested. Who knows, a pack-a-day smoker might find out that they only require a couple of cigarettes worth of tobacco every day to satisfy their craving.

It could work better than nicoderm patches or gum.

So if anyone wants to experiment with this, buy that little brass one-hitter, and burn a few quick bowls outside the office, or at the bus stop.

Undoubtedly, there are all sorts of materials that can be burned in pipes, or rolled into cigarettes. The options are hardly limited to either tobacco or cannabis.

Lloydyboy, for me the nut of the story isn't that the West Point cadets had their dorms tossed at random by the school authorities. The military academices and the US armed forces undeniably operate under rules that require the surrendering of a lot of civil liberties available to the American citizenry at large.

The real story is that the cadets pitched a riot in response.

What that tells me is that many of the current class of cadets are questioning what it is that they've signed on to. Between illegal wars brokered by ivory tower chicken hawks, and having their rooms tossed for contraband, the present political institutions of the United States of America may no longer appeal to their idealism. And sincere idealism- love of the traditions of liberty associated with this country's heritage- is not to be underestimated as a motive for young people to pursue military careers.

Whammo. Sounds like something just hit the wall. Cognitive dissonance sometimes resolves like that.

My Dad is a West Point graduate. His physical condition is presently too frail for me to tell him about this story. If I broke the news to him, he'd probably expire on the spot. It's unheard of.

Speaking of "unheard of"- has anyone heard any more attention in the press about this story than the minimum notice required for "papers of record" like the New York Times and the Washington Post? Did anyone out there catch anything about the West Point story on a television broadcast?

What difference does it make. The cops can only get these folks for trespassing anyway. They would still be responsible for proving that that green leafy substance in the pics was in fact pot before they could be charged with posessing drugs.

Jeff, that's the silliest thing about this story, isn't it? While, as Lloydyboy points out, it's not *entirely* impossible that the cops would be able to obtain additional evidence that would allow them to make a charge or two stick, it's extremely unlikely. The best they're probably going to be able to do is to provide the Office of Judicial Affairs with a list of names, at which point the kids in question might get...what, put on academic probation for trespassing in violation of the student code?

I think the anti-MJ folks who are praising this action are missing the point. Anyone who is hoping that these kids will pay for their heinous criminal behavior is probably going to be waiting a long time, because the operation simply wasn't set up in a manner that has any teeth. There's probably no way for the cops even to recover the cost of those $50 rewards. To me, that's fairly contemptuous toward the Colorado taxpayers who will be forced to foot the bill for the rewards, not to mention the server bandwidth and the many hours that Lt. McGraw and his camera-happy little friend have obviously spent on this project by now.

Robert D. Reed-
You're right. The remarkable thing about the West Point story is not what prompted the riot, but that there was a riot at all. I was in the enlisted ranks, but I got to meet a few West Point grads. They were a breed apart.
Something is happening. Noam Chomsky was invited to speak at W.P. and got a standing O from the cadets after calling their 'commander in chief' a war criminal. Then there are the retired generals grousing about Rumsfeld.
I saw the W.P. riot story a couple of days ago, only because it was linked at antiwar.com.

All-
It just keeps getting stupider. Check this out:

http://daregeneration.blogspot.com/2006/04/somethings-rotten-in-state-of-south.html

"We have a picture here of you smoking pot, you are going to be punished!!"

"Oh? I'm sorry, you are mistaken, that is legal tabaco..."

"But this is obviously pot, you are at a gathering celebrating Pot! You are guilty"

"Interesting, who's laws are you refering to, China's perhaps? Please provide your physical evidence that your statement is true and mine is false... You have slandered me sir and I shall sue you for it."

Dudes. They aren't facing crimminal charges. They are facing the school's judicial board. They do not have the same rules.

the people's money could be better spent offering rape prevention classes or improving student/police relations.

ps - if using marijuana funds terrorists, why not make it legal to grow? Even if you're against weed use, isn't stopping terrorists more important?

It's ignorant to prosecute innocent pot smokers. Don't the police have more important jobs than going around looking for people toking up? This just shows you the inmaturity in our government and police enforcement.

"Amazed-
1) Our drug laws are stupid.
2) Those kids weren't hurting anyone."

1) Maybe they are stupid. But that doesn't mean they are any less of a "law". You can choose to obey it, or you can choose to petition your represenative to change it. But if you choose to break it, then you should face the consequences.

2) I disagree. They are hurting themselves in more than one way.

Sure smoking pot is "cool". All the "cool" kids do it. Its loads of fun. And there is nothing wrong with it. Except that in our current state of the Union, its aganist the law. I pay our LEOs to uphold the laws of this country, every one of them. I for one, do not consider the law unjust. But then again, I can find a million better things to do with my time, my life, and my resources than sit around and smoke pot. But thats just me.

If I were one of the people caught and punished, I would make it a point to photograph all of the university police on the job, and anywhere they appear in public.

Its interesting they're offering exactly $50 bucks....

Yes Jeff, and the whole point of the gathering was to protest the unjustifiable laws against Cannabis, and celebrate the Truth about a plant with far more uses than making cigarettes. It's not about getting high, either. It's about protesting the racist, fascist reasons cannabis is still illegal. And, it's about CHANGING those laws. Unjustifiable laws that cause far more harm than the offense, NEED TO BE, and WILL BE, changed.

We are witnessing the DEAth of the War on Drugs. Finally, Cannabis Prohibition is becoming a casualty of Truth. But they have told too many lies to stop telling them now. After all, they have told them for so long, THEY believe them.

Cannaceuticals, not Pharmapoisons. Whole, natural medicine, not Pick-a-Part, or Create-a-Part-for-Profit.

Using politics, the FDA has assured cannabis will be moved into the realm of science. Bingo. Proof in the pudding.

Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!

Jeff, c'mon. Half these kids are going to save this page to their hard drives just so that they can someday tell their own kids, "Son, did I ever tell you about the days when they used to close down perfectly nice fields on sunny afternoons because they were afraid that we might smoke plants on them?" With any luck, their kids will have a hard time believing it.

These students are activists, and while they arguably could have taken more direct action for their cause of choice by writing to their congresscritters or sending along the cost of their next eighth to Students for Sensible Drug Policy or Law Enforcement Against Prohibition...sometimes there's something to be said for just standing on a field, smoking something or pretending to, waiting for the cops to show up, and letting one's community decide how much it's willing to spend on that.

Yeah, $50 is pretty good, but I'm holding hold out for the five pieces of silver.

Next time the cops should forget about taking pictures and just blast everyone with a firehose. stupid hippies.

kws, I doubt very seriously you even know what a Hippy is. It's not a person. It's a way of thinking. Some call it Free Thinking. Thinking unobstructed by propaganda and lies. The not accepting of the status quo. The belief that we are all one race. The Human Race. It's the belief in the Future. It's a belief that this universe is about more than having a fine home and a SUV and a membership at the local________(you fill it in) or looking beautiful or sexy. It's a belief in the Natural Laws of the universe. It's a LIFESTYLE. Nothing dirty or stupid about it.

Sure you don't want the cops to just blast them away with M-16s instead? After all, they are just Hippies and I'm sure no one will miss them. (Sheesh)

Every person who accepted that 50.00 payoff is a potential Nazi.

Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!

why do we spend money to hire dumb people to work for us
the world has gotten so stupid
were's the freedom in this country anymore
do not smoke what you want , but it's ok to go to other country's with are young people and kill there people
lay this asshole cop off
he should be fired

greetings, i live in germany about an hour drive from the Holland border, where it is legal to smoke pot (it is decriminalized in germany), so when i heard about this i was in utter disbelieve. the great USA seems to have forgotten all the values they were built upon and that they still preach to the world.
leave those kids alone dammit. dont you think it is a bit hypocritical to prosecute these kids while at the same time your government actually promotes the distribution of hard drugs like heroin and cocaine through its foreign policy? not to say that there might be more pressing matters in the "homeland" as well...
dont give in Denver students!!, fascism has to be stopped in its roots (and yes being german i know what i m talking about when i say fascism)
one love
Axel

Axel-
You have to understand one thing about us Americans: We like to kill or imprison people who are different from us. Remember that and you'll understand what's happening when what we're doing seems to be at odds with our rhetoric about exporting 'democracy' and 'freedom'.

Just so everyone knows, the Cops didnt take the pictures. A student Photographer working for the school paper did. And it looks like this guy had advanced knowledge that he was supposed to take incriminating pictures of students for the Pigs. So much for journalist intergrity.... I say we boycott the student paper until the idiot who took the pictures is off the staff.

This arguement is stupid:

a. You dont have the "freedom" to do as you wish where you wish. This is in fact America

b. All real hippies are dead

c. Any and all Hippies that are alive now; Die

d. People who smoke weed are usually just lazy optimistic do nothings ie. "4:20 party man, lets screw the government by smoking more weed."

Your little demonstration does nothing for anyone, yet you portray it as a world changing event. I hate to break it to ya, its not.

lol lloydboy

Haven't been to a drug policy conference lately, have you, IHH? It's easy for you to sit there and whine about hippies, but you might be surprised how much personal inconvenience and responsibility some people are willing to put on the line to oppose policies that they consider to be both anti-freedom and counterproductive with respect to addressing the problem of drug abuse.

This is not to say that most of those kids are active on that front, but some of them undoubtedly are. And after this little affair, more of them probably will be, in much the same way that Students For Sensible Drug Policy wouldn't have nearly its current influence or strength in numbers if certain congresscritters hadn't come up with the RAVE Act or the HEA drug provision first. As Gandhi wrote: "First they ignore you; then they mock you; then they punish you; then you win."

Changing the world always takes time, though I guess I wouldn't expect someone who uses the word "optimistic" as an insult to appreciate that.

To IHATEHIPPIES: this very much alive former hippy would like to meet you on your very own Field of Nightmares. I will show you how optimistic and lazy I can be with you:

Just tell me where,
I'll meet you there.
I'll square off with you,
Be you Christian or Jew;
If tobacco's your thing,
I'll bring some to chew.
But if you want to get high
As a way not to die...

Bring some matches.

Again, what the "Hippies" stood for is now gone. You former hippie know this. The rest are just hangers on to the "culture" not the "ideal". This is fact. And as for the wonderful Ghandi quote; Is India or Pakistan really better now then before? There are many things in this world that need change and sadly all of the football players and freaks and the "cool kids" gathering on a field at 4:20 PM won't make a bit of difference anywhere in this world. The people who make changes don't have the time to gather and smoke, they actually are working for a change. Smoke all the dope you want, just dont make it a political statement. It's the shallowness that is college life and nothing more. If you want change then act. Man dope makes you people dumb.

The cliched image some have of the pot-smoker -- the lazy hippie drop-out -- is humorous, but ignorant. FWIW, the people I smoke weed with are educated, middle-aged and successful professionals -- an M.D., a chiropractor and a PhD microbiologist. I'm a senior claims adjudicator for an insurance company. I've been doing the same 40 hour a week gig for almost 12 years now. I would venture to guess that my friends and I are more successful than are you, IHATEHIPPIES.
Second point: If you ever enjoy an alcoholic beverage, say a word of thanks to the people who -- 70-some years ago --disobeyed the 18th amendment, then the law of the land. They made the law an unenforceable farce and the government eventually gave up. The same will happen with weed. Hang in there.
May God bless America.

To IHATEHIPPIES: Apparently, you ain't got no learnin' either. The correct wording of the second sentence of your misguided diatribe is "You former hippies..." You said "You former hippie know this..."

Sober up and go read a book. Make it about Ghandi.

First off, stop the talk about Hippies. Everyone who smokes pot is not a hippie, and that is besides the issue. I believe that people ("Ihatehippies") contradict themselves when they say this is pointless to go smoke in a field, and that it would have no impact on the views of Marijuana in the public... But obviously, your just ignorant - or plain stupid... I would bet on the latter. You people coming on to this forum, and DEBATING THE ISSUE IS A DIRECT RESULT FROM PEOPLE SMOKING on the field... So dont say it has no effect. Frankly, I dont give a shit what people want to do with their free time.. But i get annoyed when i see people making comments when they have absolutly no idea what their talking about.... IE - "IHATEHIPPIES"
2nd of all, you say that people were making a political statement by gathering and smoking, and that they shouldnt make this statement because it is essientially pointless since they will not change anything... I would like for you to show me 1 example of an issue that didnt start with the people.. Politicans dont just conjure laws and regualtions. IT ALL STARTS WITH THE PEOPLE. Womens rights, the appeal of Prohibition, etc etc.. Were not thought up by politicans- But by the people.. Though ill give you that a lot of kids were out there to get high--- Many were out there to make a statement to the community that Marijuana is a serious issue and it needs to be debated more-- and obviously that was an outcome of 420..
I really believe that 420 in Boulder will start to take the direction of creating a sensible Marijuana law instead of just getting high.
But in the mean time, why dont you think before you post things on here...

IHATEHIPPIES- Just because people have different views then you doesnt make you or them right.. Dont tell people not to gether to make a statement... Obviously your a Bush supporter.
I hope that anyone who gets in trouble understands that Freedom of Association is PROTECTED in the Bill of Rights. The school cant possibly punish you for being around others that may or may not be breaking the law.
IHATEHIPPIES- Gatherings and Protests are the way that large issues get delt with in this country. So if you dont like it, then ignore it or GO FUCK YOURSELF.... People just like you disagreed with every major movement this country has had. But the people know what they want, so dont assume that your smarter then those 5,000 people smoking in the field.. Are you really that inlove with yourself that your gonna argue that your smarter then 5,000 other people/?? I dont think so

How do you know these people are smoking pot? A pipe and a lighter certainly could be but I dont see it standing up in court.

Such strong reaction to my point of view. Could it be that I am right? Let me address the "stoners" and other mental midgets on the board:

former hippy: If you read my line correctly you would understand that I was addressing you. I just didn't place a comma where I should have. Minor mistake, no harm no foul. /QUOTE "You former hippies..." You said "You former hippie know this..." /QUOTE That comment should have been "You, "former hippie" <-----(identity on this message board) know this...". Sorry for the error. Maybe I can get a few "potheads" to smoke for the sake of good punctuation. I'm sure 50 people smoking weed in a field will change the way we view a comma forever. Ghandi weeps.

GetOverYourself: We're debating on a MESSAGE BOARD, is this all the 420 movement can muster? There's no national attention, no 11o'clock news, no march on Washington. That's how things start, with MOTIVATED people that have a just and common cause capture the hearts of the media then the world. What happens next? Change. When it came time to rid ourselves of prohibition what did we do? That's right, I remember now, 6 people drank wine in silence.....

Jonnyboy: I didn't say "Don't gather to make a statement" I said "If you actually HAVE a statement do more than gather." I'm sure with all the great "stoner" minds of the past you can follow a more creative path. But maybe that takes too much thought. The funny thing is I am not a supporter of the Bush Administration so you're taking this from a proud Liberal.

Lloydyboy: I'm sure you are the affluent individual you say you are. One question, where were your "middle-aged and successful professionals -- an M.D., a chiropractor and a PhD microbiologist" friends in the pics? I'm sure if they want to stay in their upstanding positions there wouldn't be any white coats in the crowd; would there?


And last but certainly not least,

Jimmy: Don't be a retard. Its obviously drug paraphernalia in the pictures, it would stand up in court. When the cops pull you over and find a bowl in your car, tell them you're an avid pipe smoker.

To IHATEHIPPIES: I hate to think you are the dispirited, self-loathing individual you appear to be. But I think there is hope. Let me ask, do you imbibe alcohol? Or is that also a moral no-no for you? What about sex? Only for making babies? How about rock 'n roll...devil's music?
Just what are you "liberal" about?

Curious...

GetOverYourself writes, "You people coming on to this forum, and DEBATING THE ISSUE IS A DIRECT RESULT FROM PEOPLE SMOKING on the field... So dont say it has no effect."

Pretty cool, isn't it? All these kids had to do to get people nationwide talking about freedom of assembly again was to stand in one place on a field, smoke pot or pretend to smoke pot, and accept -- for the signs left little doubt -- that they'd be photographed and subjected to a taxpayer-funded snitch drive.

Activism takes all kinds, IHateHippies. Both the "culture" and the "ideal" of natural rights have been alive for thousands of years, and they'll be alive for thousands more (assuming that we as a species make it that far).

Ok IHATEHIPPIES, a picture of me holding a pipe is not illegal. You could have a movie of me smoking crack and there would be no legal grounds for punishment... Im a 100% positive... Look it up you idiot. How do you prove that there wasn't tobbacco in that pipe? Even if i came out and said i smoke a pound a day there would be no legal grounds for punishment. If a cop found a pipe in my car that would not be illegal, ITS WHATS IN THE PIPE you idiot. They would have to run tests to confirm that, not a photograph- exspecially one that could be easily cahnged around with a 50 buck photoshop program.... Once again, i would hope that you would do a little research before you opened your big mouth....

Also you refered to 420 as a movement, but its not. I SAID I BELIEVE that 420 will turn into a legalization or sensiable marijuana policy.

IHATEHIPPIES:
"When it came time to rid ourselves of prohibition what did we do? "
We didnt sit in silence. We drank ALOT, until the violence the blackmarket was creating was to much to bear for the Government and until politicans began listening their constituents.

"That's how things start, with MOTIVATED people that have a just and common cause capture the hearts of the media then the world."
I hardly think that the people who wanted end to prohibition won the hearts of the media and then the world. Are you joking?? Honestly? The Appeal of prohibition didnt win the hearts of anyone... People started listening to their minds and not their hearts, because i believe the majority of people know in their hearts the problems of alcohol strongly outweight the benefits... But people listened to their minds and saw that the government should have no role in whether or not i choose to drink.

"I'm sure with all the great "stoner" minds of the past you can follow a more creative path. But maybe that takes too much thought."

once again this shows how incrediably narrowminded you are.. I would bet thousands that there are many more people that smoke pot and will still be more successful then you could only dream of. You just dont understand that marijuana is not just a college drug, there are millions of closet smokers across the country and world. CEO's, business owners, politicans, actors, athletes... So dont make the case that marijuana smokers are not as smart as others.

I could rip into every comment you have on this board, but to be honest.. I just got done studying and now to relax im gonna go smoke a nice little joint......- Just for you

"On 4-20-2006 University officials closed Farrand Field from 12 Noon until 5 PM. The field was closed off with barricades, yellow jacketed "event staff" personnel and police officers. " Straight from the website.... This couldnt be any farther from the truth. Im not at the field much, but i showed up and honest to god saw no fence that implied no one was allowed, saw no event staff in yellow shirts- only a few staff who i talked to, and NO ONE i mean no one, told me that field was closed or to leave. I talked to 2 different staff members and they mentioned nothing, saw 3 uniformed police officers ( the only ones i saw) and they to mentioned nothing and did not tell anyone to leave..... Im not saying people didnt know they werent supposed to be there- I did see 1 sign- most people obviously knew. But the school is completely lieing on that website, which is pretty pathetic

Alright, My picture is on that website - not identified, but i dont even give a shit. I do remember who took the picture though............THE BITCH IN THE COSTUME running around. Let this be a warning to anyone in a costume ever again....I WILL BEAT YOUR ASS ON SIGH

http://www.pot-tv.net/archive/shows/pottvshowse-4228.html

Check this website out... This shows one of the camera men... actaully selling bud, and smoking it on video tape. I think he meant no harm, but some of the pictures from his camera definatly show up on the Pigs website

IHH-
You are right about one thing. You won't see my friends or I out in public smoking doobie in order to make a statement. Funny thing happens when you have a career, a family and bills: you tend to become cautious. My approach is more 'grown-up': a letter to the editor about drug policy here, a donation to the ACLU or NORML there. I do salute these kids, though. Going to that park did take some nerve. It's nice to see kids care about something.
You call yourself a "proud Liberal" -- what does that mean? Where does your hostility to these kids come from? What would you rather these kids be doing?

Is it just me or is it pretty funny that the $50 reward is exactly the going rate to buy an 1/8th of fine colorado herb? And the world goes round.

there werent getting charged for smoking pot, they were charged with 'trespassing' i hope i spelled that right.

Hey im not in colorado but weren't the Boulder police the same dumbasses who couldn't crack the
Jon Benet Ramsay case? Cops are scumbags.

The police are paying people to identify people who participated in a protest. For whatever reason they do not intend to charge these people. Instead, they plan to encourage the administration of the university they attend to impose some form of sanctions.

This is harassment pure and simple. If the Colorado Police had any brass at all, they would charge these protesters with the crime they allegedly committed. Instead they are saying "we know the law is BS and that a charge would get laughed out of court but it is embarrassing to us so we will work outside of the law to punish these people."

As my ma used to say "S**t or get off the pot." If you think they broke the law, charge them. Anything else and you are not acting as a police officer. You are acting as a vigilante.

Here's a comment for the UC administration: If you act against a participant in this protest and that participant decides to sue you will have to explain to the judge why you decided to act on an allegation that the police themselves felt was too shaky to prosecute. Just because Kangaroo Court includes the word "court" doesn't make it legal.

This is after all Boulder, Co... A self-proclaimed colony of California: A self absorbed group of “activists” who “act” as the catalyst for the next wave of overly imposing laws that will ripple through the country. But YOU, the “Silent Majority”, will not stop smoking pot and get off your ass and show some ambition and drive (probably because Sponge Bob is on right now). Stop bitching about cigarette smoke and SUVs and start voting for something you “believe” in. While you sit there holding that joint speaking the great truths of the universe; make a commitment to vote YOUR belief rather than how you think your parents would want you to vote while you are in your best Easter outfit.

THIS is the future of America?… Great!

the boulder police are a joke

D Brickshaw SUCKS... GO AJ HAWK

I couldn't read all the asinine comments. So too freakin bad if I'm repeating someone. Somehow I doubt I am.

1) to the "drug laws are dumb" comment. They're still the laws. If you don't like it, do something about it other that using an alleged "civil liberties protest" as an excuse to get high in public.

2) the police are not attempting to bust people for smoking pot. they are going to issue summons for trespassing on Farrand Field when it had been closed. A picture of someone on the field at the time of the closure will be more than enough to prosecute on this type of charge.

3) the university doesn't even have to pay off the snitches. if/when the offender pays their fine of $100, the informant gets their $50.

4) NOT paying the fine as yet another "protest" is only going to make matters worse. I can promise they WILL seek bench warrants for those who don't pay. It's called failure to comply. You can go to jail for it.

5) for those of you who didn't catch it the first time and are already bitching about my comments, sputtering that "it's stupid for them to bust us!" smoking pot is still illegal, like it or not.

6) grow the fuck up. either vote/volunteer and change what you don't like or shut up, waste some more of your parents money for an "education" that you're just pissing away, drive around in the beemer daddy bought you and we'll see your face on the website again next year for trespassing on the field. your parents must be so proud.

To those who say smoking pot is not a right, I say that NO ONE including the government has a right to tell ANYONE what they can or can not put into their OWN bodies!

I would turn myself in and get the $50. What's the worst thing they can do? Kick you out? Possibly, then again u just saved a lot of money. I got some good news. I saved a lot of money on car insurance.

'Attention you idiots'-
Nobody cares what you say. Shut up.

(marijuana myths courtesy of twotonetony)


MARIJUANA, MYTHS ABOUT MARIJUANA, AND OTHER NON-"STONER" REASONS THAT MARIJUANA SHOULD BE LEGALIZED.


First of all, this is information on marijuana from a purely factual stand point, so even if you are against marijuana PLEASE READ THIS. there are too many ignorant people against marijuana...you dont have to smoke it to be for it's legalization.

MARIJUANA MYTHS


1. Marijuana causes brain damage

The most celebrated study that claims to show brain damage is the rhesus monkey study of Dr. Robert Heath, done in the late 1970s. This study was reviewed by a distinguished panel of scientists sponsored by the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences. Their results were published under the title, Marijuana and Health in 1982. Heath's work was sharply criticized for its insufficient sample size (only four monkeys), its failure to control experimental bias, and the misidentification of normal monkey brain structure as "damaged". Actual studies of human populations of marijuana users have shown no evidence of brain damage. For example, two studies from 1977, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) showed no evidence of brain damage in heavy users of marijuana. That same year, the American Medical Association (AMA) officially came out in favor of decriminalizing marijuana. That's not the sort of thing you'd expect if the AMA thought marijuana damaged the brain.

2. Marijuana damages the reproductive system

This claim is based chiefly on the work of Dr. Gabriel Nahas, who experimented with tissue (cells) isolated in petri dishes, and the work of researchers who dosed animals with near-lethal amounts of cannabinoids (i.e., the intoxicating part of marijuana). Nahas' generalizations from his petri dishes to human beings have been rejected by the scientific community as being invalid. In the case of the animal experiments, the animals that survived their ordeal returned to normal within 30 days of the end of the experiment. Studies of actual human populations have failed to demonstrate that marijuana adversely affects the reproductive system.

3. Marijuana is a "gateway" drug -- it leads to hard drugs

This is one of the more persistent myths. A real world example of what happens when marijuana is readily available can be found in Holland. The Dutch partially legalized marijuana in the 1970s. Since then, hard drug use -- heroin and cocaine -- have DECLINED substantially. If marijuana really were a gateway drug, one would have expected use of hard drugs to have gone up, not down. This apparent "negative gateway" effect has also been observed in the United States. Studies done in the early 1970s showed a negative correlation between use of marijuana and use of alcohol. A 1993 Rand Corporation study that compared drug use in states that had decriminalized marijuana versus those that had not, found that where marijuana was more available -- the states that had decriminalized -- hard drug abuse as measured by emergency room episodes decreased. In short, what science and actual experience tell us is that marijuana tends to substitute for the much more dangerous hard drugs like alcohol, cocaine, and heroin.

4. Marijuana suppresses the immune system

Like the studies claiming to show damage to the reproductive system, this myth is based on studies where animals were given extremely high -- in many cases, near-lethal -- doses of cannabinoids. These results have never been duplicated in human beings. Interestingly, two studies done in 1978 and one done in 1988 showed that hashish and marijuana may have actually stimulated the immune system in the people studied.

5. Marijuana is much more dangerous than tobacco

Smoked marijuana contains about the same amount of carcinogens as does an equivalent amount of tobacco. It should be remembered, however, that a heavy tobacco smoker consumes much more tobacco than a heavy marijuana smoker consumes marijuana. This is because smoked tobacco, with a 90% addiction rate, is the most addictive of all drugs while marijuana is less addictive than caffeine. Two other factors are important. The first is that paraphernalia laws directed against marijuana users make it difficult to smoke safely. These laws make water pipes and bongs, which filter some of the carcinogens out of the smoke, illegal and, hence, unavailable. The second is that, if marijuana were legal, it would be more economical to have cannabis drinks like bhang (a traditional drink in the Middle East) or tea which are totally non-carcinogenic. This is in stark contrast with "smokeless" tobacco products like snuff which can cause cancer of the mouth and throat. When all ofthese facts are taken together, it can be clearly seen that the reverse is true: marijuana is much SAFER than tobacco.

6. Legal marijuana would cause carnage on the highways

Although marijuana, when used to intoxication, does impair performance in a manner similar to alcohol, actual studies of the effect of marijuana on the automobile accident rate suggest that it poses LESS of a hazard than alcohol. When a random sample of fatal accident victims was studied, it was initially found that marijuana was associated with RELATIVELY as many accidents as alcohol. In other words, the number of accident victims intoxicated on marijuana relative to the number of marijuana users in society gave a ratio similar to that for accident victims intoxicated on alcohol relative to the total number of alcohol users. However, a closer examination of the victims revealed that around 85% of the people intoxicated on marijuana WERE ALSO INTOXICATED ON ALCOHOL. For people only intoxicated on marijuana, the rate was much lower than for alcohol alone. This finding has been supported by other research using completely different methods. For example, an economic analysis of the effects of decriminalization on marijuana usage found that states that had reduced penalties for marijuana possession experienced a rise in marijuana use and a decline in alcohol use with the result that fatal highway accidents decreased. This would suggest that, far from causing "carnage", legal marijuana might actually save lives.

7. Marijuana "flattens" human brainwaves

This is an out-and-out lie perpetrated by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. A few years ago, they ran a TV ad that purported to show, first, a normal human brainwave, and second, a flat brainwave from a 14-year-old "on marijuana". When researchers called up the TV networks to complain about this commercial, the Partnership had to pull it from the air. It seems that the Partnership faked the flat "marijuana brainwave". In reality, marijuana has the effect of slightly INCREASING alpha wave activity. Alpha waves are associated with meditative and relaxed states which are, in turn, often associated with human creativity.

8. Marijuana is more potent today than in the past

This myth is the result of bad data. The researchers who made the claim of increased potency used as their baseline the THC content of marijuana seized by police in the early 1970s. Poor storage of this marijuana in un-air conditioned evidence rooms caused it to deteriorate and decline in potency before any chemical assay was performed. Contemporaneous, independent assays of unseized "street" marijuana from the early 1970s showed a potency equivalent to that of modern "street" marijuana. Actually, the most potent form of this drug that was generally available was sold legally in the 1920s and 1930s by the pharmaceutical company Smith-Klein under the name, "American Cannabis".

9. Marijuana impairs short-term memory

This is true but misleading. Any impairment of short-term memory disappears when one is no longer under the influence of marijuana. Often, the short-term memory effect is paired with a reference to Dr. Heath's poor rhesus monkeys to imply that the condition is permanent.

10. Marijuana lingers in the body like DDT

This is also true but misleading. Cannabinoids are fat soluble as are innumerable nutrients and, yes, some poisons like DDT. For example, the essential nutrient, Vitamin A, is fat soluble but one never hears people who favor marijuana prohibition making this comparison.

11. There are over a thousand chemicals in marijuana smoke

Again, true but misleading. The 31 August 1990 issue of the magazine Science notes that of the over 800 volatile chemicals present in roasted COFFEE, only 21 have actually been tested on animals and 16 of these cause cancer in rodents. Yet, coffee remains legal and is generally considered fairly safe.

12. No one has ever died of a marijuana overdose

This is true. It was put in to see if you are paying attention. Animal tests have revealed that extremely high doses of cannabinoids are needed to have lethal effect. This has led scientists to conclude that the ratio of the amount of cannabinoids necessary to get a person intoxicated (i.e., stoned) relative to the amount necessary to kill them is 1 to 40,000. In other words, to overdose, you would have to consume 40,000 times as much marijuana as you needed to get stoned. In contrast, the ratio for alcohol varies between 1 to 4 and 1 to 10. It is easy to see how upwards of 5000 people die from alcohol overdoses every year and no one EVER dies of marijuana overdoses.


This is what the government won't tell to us Americans. They are too stubborn to take back a law that has been in place for 69 years (Marijuana Tax Act of 1937).





Along with making marijuana illegal, the government spends billions of dollars each year fighting the drug war to keep marijuana and other drugs out of this country. Now i would like you to think of one person in this country that is unable to obtain marijuana or any other drug. If marijuana was legal, it would be create a market in the USA and there would be no reason for drug smuggling. Because marijuana would then be contained in the USA and smuggling would no longer be a problem, the government could much more easily control the use of the substance. Since everyone would now be buying their marijuana from stores in the USA, there would be a tax on this creating billions more in revenue for the government to add on to the billions no longer being spent on the war against marijuana.

A very high % of prisoners are non-violent drug offenders. With marijuana legalized, we wouldnt have to worry about drug dealers as much, which means less people going to prison, which in turn means more tax money to spend on something more important, like the HUGE deficit we have managed to create.


Marijuana might be a harmful substance, but so are many other substances that are legal, many of which are much more harmful. Marijuana is actually EASIER to obtain because it is illegal and is costing us billions of dollars to make it easier, why would we want to do that?




I hope you feel more informed after this. PLEASE REPOST THIS, whether you are for or against its legalization, people need to know the facts, not just that marijuana gets you high and screws up your life (which for the most part is not true). Also, tell everyone you know about these facts. Marijuana should be legal and the government will not do anything about it unless we stand up and voice the TRUTH.

A sign was posted. 420 or not, you'd have to be an complete idiot to stand there and smoke weed in front of a camera. This isn't about smoking pot, this is about stupidity. Everyone caught on camera just learned a valuable lesson. Brainless morons like this are why it still isn't legal. Anyway....whatever. Oh no, a bunch of middle to upper class whiteys got busted smoking pot! It's the end of the world! Mommy and Daddy are going to find out! Expel and arrest them all. Stupidity should be punished. It's good to see natural selection in action.

Irony, our own country won't negotiate with terrorist in hostage situations... yet they will negotiate with the public in 420 situations.
Nice Job Uncle Sam.

As an ardent supporter of pro-marijuana campaigns, I drove all the way from Colorado Springs to support my Boulder comrades. Let me just get it out there right now that Colorado Springs is a myriad of anti-cannabis propaganda. Want to make a difference in the conservative stronghold that is southern Colorado?

There is a pro-medical marijuana campaign taking place tomorrow (5/6) here in Colorado Springs, noon to 5 PM, in Acacia Park, downtown. Live music and much celebration...all interested should make an appearance! Contact me if you need more .

That information having been disseminated...I have found that there are several people on this board who claim that the pot smokers out there are useless, wastes of skin; the ones who aren't, simply can't afford to support the cause. I disagree!

My friends (and at the risk of bragging, we're talking more than two here) and I are all avid pot smokers. Our CUMULATIVE GPA's are no lower than 3.76 (as upperclass students in the engineering, communication, business, and psychology departments at the University of Colorado - C/S); in addition, we are all gainfully employed at various restaurants/hotels/dry cleaning shops (we ARE college students, after all) here in town. We all pay our rent on time. Some of us (me?) were actually just inducted into Lambda Pi Eta, a national communication honor society. Some of us are actually graduting early due to our strong work ethics. One of us served his country in the Navy for five years. We're successful, and we get high, and we were there. We supported the cause.

But whatever we do, we'd best not come home at the end of a long day of work/school/studying/some combination of the three, roll a fatty, eat a Snickers, and go to bed. We need to keep the streets safe for drunks who like to gamble away their paychecks and beat strippers.

END CANNABIS PERSECUTION NOW!!!!