It was a fairly tame 4/20 in London following a same-day announcement from the federal health minister stating the Canadian government will soon be taking steps to legalize marijuana.
The London Police Service kept their distance as pro-marijuana activists sparked up in Victoria Park for the annual 4/20 cannabis celebration Wednesday afternoon. Police were seen circling the park in cruisers, but never entered.
This is the first time in five years police haven't taken a zero tolerance approach to the event.
Last year, roughly a dozen officers on bikes and nearby cruisers kept watch over the demonstrators. One man was arrested for lighting up some pot. He claimed to have a medical marijuana licence, but police say it was outdated.
"I didn't have any expectations when I came here, I didn't know what I was going to get into, and honestly, all I found was some decent people," says Joshua, who was at the park to celebrate 4/20 and promote a 4/20 music event later in the day. "Some of them are smoking some herb, some of the them aren't. Overall, just enjoying the great day."
Health Minister Jane Philpott announced on Wednesday that Canada will introduce legislation in the spring of next year to begin the process of legalizing and regulating marijuana. The minister made the comments during a speech at the United Nations, but offered no other details.
Joshua says the health minister's announcement may have deterred police from their strict approach from previous years.
"Our country is openly announcing, and endorsing that [marijuana] is something that, in the future, we're going to [make] legal," he says. "Considering the reasons are mainly that it fills our jails and pollutes our justice system, obviously [the police] aren't going to come down here and arrest 100 people. It's just not [in line] with what the country is doing."
-With files from the Canadian Press and Miranda Chant
