Marijuana is illegal in the United States, but that does not
stop UCLA students from celebrating 4/20 today, the unofficial
marijuana user’s holiday.
April 20 has fallen on the weekend in the past few years, giving
people more of a reason to celebrate at home instead of on campus.
This year, because it occurs in the middle of the week, it is
uncertain how and where students will celebrate the occasion.
Marijuana users are still planning to smoke, in spite of
potentially increased scrutiny.
“People who smoke marijuana are going to celebrate their
holiday any day of the week,” said Allie Butler, a first-year
world arts and culture student. “It’s like your
birthday.”
But today calls for some people to be more cautious in their
marijuana usage.
“If I were to (smoke marijuana), I’d do it where I
felt safe,” Butler said. “I wouldn’t want to
jeopardize my housing.”
Keeping marijuana use private defeats the purpose of the holiday
for some.
“I think the whole point is to be out in public and to
show that (marijuana use) is not as bad as politicians make it out
to be,” said Georgina Wakefield, a third-year English
student.
April 20 is political; it’s taking a stand to legalize
marijuana by celebrating the controversial day, said Wakefield.
Marijuana became illegal for recreational use in the United
States in 1937 under the Marijuana Tax Act.
“Other things like alcohol and tobacco are legal, while
pot is not,” Wakefield said. “It just doesn’t
make sense.”
For others, 4/20 allows marijuana users to reflect on their
usage in the past. Last year, undeclared student Daniel Zamani gave
up marijuana for an extended amount of time after 4/20.
“(Marijuana) allows me to look at reality from a different
perspective,” Zamani said. “I reached a point of
diminishing returns, and I was learning less each time I
smoked.”
Some users find that occasional use can turn into abuse.
“If you’re using the drug as an escape from reality,
then that’s abuse,” Zamani said, adding that he no
longer knew why he smoked.
“Motivation is usually an indication of psychological
addiction.”
For other marijuana users, it is difficult to abuse the
drug.
“We’re all on student budgets,” Butler said.
“It’s hard to develop an addiction to something when
you don’t have it.”
For everybody participating in 4/20, the day gives marijuana
users an opportunity to celebrate and appreciate the controversial
drug.
“This time off has given me a lot of perspective, and
I’ll respect the drug a lot more,” Zamani said.
It is not certain how marijuana users will celebrate 4/20 at
UCLA.
“I have no way of being able to predict what’s going
to happen,” said Berky Nelson, director of the Center for
Student Programming.
But officials are hopeful that today will not be out of the
ordinary.
“I’d rather say that it’s going to be a normal
day,” Nelson said.
The last time 4/20 fell on a weekday was in 2001.
On April 20, 2001, a Friday, large groups of people congregated
at Meyerhoff Park, the area in front of Kerckhoff Hall, to smoke
marijuana though people had originally gathered for a Libertarian
party event, according to the Daily Bruin archives.
Instances of on-campus 4/20 marijuana smoking have declined
since 2001, Nelson said.
“I wasn’t here on campus, so nothing was brought to
my attention when 4/20 was on weekends,” Nelson said.
In the residence halls, where many UCLA students live, officials
do not expect 4/20 festivities to get out of hand.
People tend to go to public events to celebrate 4/20 instead of
celebrating at the residence halls, said Christine Coons, judicial
affairs coordinator for the Office of Residential Life.
In general, marijuana usage is not the highest policy abuse in
the residence halls, Coons said.