2007 Calgary Global Million Marijuana March -
www.worldwidemarijuanamarch.org -
www.globalmarijuanamarch.org People started arriving at Calgary's (
www.calgary.ca) Olympic Plaza around 1:00 PM. Many enjoyed the sunny day with some cannabis while waiting for the event to official start up at 2:00 PM.
A small but loud and proud sign waving cannabis consuming crowd started to gather along Macleod trail about 1:30 PM and by 1:40 the number of sign waving loud and proud people had swollen to a large crowd. Many motorists horns were being honked and lots of cheering and waving motorist drove by the ever swelling happy loud and proud cannabis consuming crowd. Event attendance estimates are 350 to 400 people. Up close to one hundred people from 2006 event attendance estimates. Also a much louder crowd the whole event this year.
Best crowd to date, thank you ALL that attended this year! Grant Krieger (
www.kriegerfoundation.com) was the Calgary parades grand marshal while Toronto's was Marc Emery (
www.cannabisculture.com) and Vancover's was Michelle Rainey (
www.michellerainey.com).
For the first time in Calgary's history at least 3 local radio stations broadcasted the Calgary pro cannabis event details before the event was to take place. Compared to the continual Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Halifax media coverage of their cities pro cannabis events it is only a small baby step but at least it is a step in the right direction.
The Calgary Police Service (CPS) sergeant of the mountain bike patrol and I had our usual conversation of parade route, blocking traffic for us, etc... The new smoking bylaw was discussed and a plan was formed to avoid anyone getting a smoking bylaw ticket at the event. There was less CPS officers at this years event as well.
The prize list was the largest to date which included, 10 glass art pieces including 5 glass bongs, 9 t-shirts, posters, stickers, a box of 100% hemp rolling papers donated by Fred at Next Level (
www.thenextlevelinc.ca) alone. Bill and Nick at Bongs n Such (
www.bongsandsuch.com) donated a really cool black hoodie with the Bongs n Such logo, t-shirts, stickers, etc. Calgary 420 (
www.calgary420.ca) donated 12 t-shirts, 6 baseball style caps, a one of a kind deep blue Unconventional Art (
www.unconventionalart.ca) hookah, one Naked Queen DVD (
www.thenakedqueen.com), one Trailer Park Boys book personally autographed by Bubbles, Julian and Rick at a Chapters book store in Calgary. TreatingYourSelf.com, Skunk (
www.skunkmagazine.com), High Times (
www.hightimes.com), Cannabis Culture (
www.cannabisculture.com) and Cannabis Health (
www.cannabishealth.com) cannabis magazines. Lots of other free posters and information including L.E.A.P (
www.leap.cc), eNDP (
www.endprohibition.ca), free the BC 3 and host of other materials were given away as well.
One of the glass art bongs donated by Fred at Next Level (
www.thenextlevelinc.ca) was raffled for Grant Krieger's (
www.kriegerfoundation.com) defence fund which brought in $362 and change.
The event was much louder this year, the marchers could be heard two blocks away during the whole march. Calgary 420 (
www.calgary420.ca) brought a lot more signs (about 40) this year and we had no shortage of people willing to carry and wave them in the air. Some brought their own signs and a lot more people were wearing cannabis type t-shirts and hats this year.
Right after the event came to an end at Calgary City Hall a gun wielding man with what was believed at the time to be a bomb was found in the city hall building.
The CPS started to evacuate the mostly empty Calgary City Hall building and even went so far as to stop all traffic flow through the area until the man surrendered peacefully hours later.
Just released on the news this morning. The gunman had planned to do what he did because he knew about the Calgary Global Marijuana March and thought the event would draw lots of media attention and he wanted to feed off that media attention. The Alberta media does not publish or broadcast pro cannabis events for the most part.
Keith Fagin
Founder Calgary 420 Cannabis Community
P.S.
Picture and video archive will be available on line as time allows.
