Toronto pot users streamed into Dundas Square Wednesday to mark 4/20, the annual international marijuana holiday. The unofficial theme for this year’s so-called Hashmob was “I toke and I vote,” with organizers calling on Canadians to oust the Conservative government on election day in favour of a more marijuana-friendly party. Cops watched from the periphery of the square as hundreds of people flouted Canada’s in-flux cannabis laws by sparking up joints, bongs, and pipes as the clock struck 4:20, shrouding the downtown shopping district in intoxicating smoke.
“I’m here because I’m a medical marijuana patient,” said a protester who identified herself as Kat. “Even having my papers, folks are still persecuted. We’ve got a license that says we’re legally allowed to use cannabis and folks are still getting arrested and harassed by the police. I’m here to be blatant and put it out there and educate as many people as I can.”
Many protesters also called for the release of Marc Emery, the Canadian activist who is currently serving a five year sentence in the U.S. for selling marijuana seeds through the mail. But other attendees obviously had less noble motives, namely getting high as shit on the biggest joints you’ve ever seen.
