Despite Trying to Distance Itself From Stoner Culture, the Pot Industry Still Loves 4/20 westword.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from westword.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
As the first major U.S. city with retail cannabis, Denver s connection with 4/20 is well established, but the unofficial pot holiday s future in the Mile High is uncertain post-COVID. While some newer members of the local cannabis industry think there s a chance for Denver s 4/20 celebration to return in all its smoky, stoner glory, more seasoned veterans of the scene say that the holiday peaked years ago. To see where Denver could be headed for 4/20 in 2022 and beyond, we checked in with four people who ve played an integral role in how this city views and celebrates cannabis. We re rolling out their stories in our Burning Question series in advance of 4/20 in 2021, and have already shared Warren Edson s memories of 4/20 s early connection to Denver and Miguel Lopez s account of hosting the 420 Rally. And now, Jake Brown:
There are smoke sessions in Denver every 4/20, but the heart of the action has always been Civic Center Park. At first a loose-knit gathering, over the decades it grew to a boisterous bash that drew up to 50,000 people. But as the crowds came, so did more bells, whistles and rules. As the 420 Rally organizer from.
Denver s reputation as a pot hot spot can largely be traced to one man: Ken Gorman. Considered the grandfather of the 4/20 rally, he held monthly smoke-in events with joints and bullhorns in front of the Colorado Capitol in the mid-’90s. These became so big that Gorman started applying for event permits at Civic Center Park, where hundreds of people would gather to smoke weed as a form of protest against cannabis prohibition and listen to punk bands and pot celebrities.
Unafraid of the consequences of being a cannabis user in the ’90s, Gorman was regularly ticketed by the police on small possession or paraphernalia charges, but he continued his upfront campaign with ads on the back page of
High Country: Honoring 6 women in cannabis shattering the Grass Ceiling aspentimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from aspentimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.