Calgary 420 Cannabis
Many Cannabis activists have been asked an important question, myself included.
I have consumed cannabis for most of my life (over 30 years) and grown cannabis both for recreational and medical reasons. I am a proud Canadian! I have sat on the couch most of my life and let others try to change (take the hits) wrong and even immoral laws that never should have been laws in the first place. Why I have changed to loud and proud yet
peaceful cannabis activist is due to the USA and Canada governments (Big Brother.)
We are all a victim of the war on drugs (prohibition) our children, their children and on and on are forming I see due to the war on drugs is just too much for me to sit on the couch. Medical qualities of cannabis have been well documented for many years in many studies being denied to people who need it medically to and on and on are and will be victims of the drug wars. It does affect everyone, not just people who consume cannabis or other drugs currently legal or not legal and will be victims of the drug wars.
PROHIBITION DOES NOT WORK! It never has and never will period! People will do what they want no matter if jail or even death is possible. Treatment for people and not throwing people in jail and killing them is what needs to be done. After years of only lurking on cannabis-related internet sites, I finally stepped out of the cannabis closet January 1 / 2004 (a new years resolution.)
Now I am a member of many (50+) cannabis related websites and a message forum moderator on a few as well and the administrator of Calgary 420 forums. Some of you may have seen my participation on cannabis websites as KanMan. I personally support PEACEFUL, loud, proud protest in support of medical, sacramental and recreational cannabis consumption for adults only, adults that are and will be victims of the drug wars. It does affect everyone, not just people who consume cannabis or other drugs currently legal or not legal! My wife (she does not consume cannabis) and most of my family support cannabis even though most do not consume it. Why? They have seen first hand what it can do for the quality of life for over 30 years and not just me either; they have seen it with many, many people for many years.
We all, not just cannabis or other drug consumers must stand up and put an end to the terror type tactics being used to force one person’s view on another person. It is very wrong and immoral. Even popular religions say we all have “FREEDOM OF CHOICE” given to us by GOD!
Canada 1994 – Many books and magazines were illegal. Products were also illegal such as pipes, hookahs, bongs etc… If this was not challenged by an activist and changed, where would we be today 11 years later? You would not be enjoying this magazine or many others you now can have legally and enjoy today. Many more topics and products would be illegal today and we would have even less freedom of choice then we now have. No cannabis related message forums or very few would be on the Internet to exchange
ideas and help each other.
Why did Calgary 420 happen? It has been a long time coming and is very much needed in red neck Alberta. Alberta is very unlike Vancouver, Montreal or Toronto. Making it even much harder to start up a much-needed cannabis activist group willing to put in the money, time and efforts and take the heat from other sources to make it a committed, strong and growing community.
The Million Marijuana March (annual global cannabis rally) May 2005 in Calgary had a very small crowd. My wife took video and audio of the marchers while I drove my truck (health issues prevented me from walking) alongside the marchers honking my horn to draw attention to them. It worked well of course many police checked me out as well. When we left Olympic Plaza, I just looked at my wife and she said I know what you’re thinking and I will support you in any way I can. That is why I love her so much, I am very lucky to be loved by her too.
How did Calgary 420 happen? My loving wife’s a non-cannabis consumer no less (20+ years) supporting me 100 percent, Sedative Ocean’s (medical
need consumer) continued prodding to bring me out of my very shy shell I lived in and of course all the suffering I see by so many due to the cannabis
drug wars. The three of us worked very hard to bring attention to the attack on Canada by the DEA that continued to happen in Canada (Marco Renda and the Vancouver 3).
Our efforts were for an organized Smoke Out America Protest (SOAP) in Calgary, Alberta, Canada which turned out to be a worldwide SOAP. We designed and printed well over a thousand posters and flyers and distributed them to local head shops and people on the streets of Calgary. Four thousand flyers were shipped to us from Dana @ Cannabis Culture all 4000 will be distributed by the end of October 2005. Additionally, we went to local head shops asking for support, we posted to many, many cannabis message forums and other Usenet newsgroups.
Hundreds of hours and hundreds of dollars were donated by us and our very generous sponsors during a 3 week lead up to the planned September 10 / 2005 SOAP to be held worldwide.
We also set up an information web site for SOAP to be held in Calgary. Sadly September 10 / 2005 was very cold and raining steadily throughout the city of Calgary on September 10. SOAP in Calgary had to be postponed. This was a huge disappointment as we had people coming from all over southern Alberta; I was expecting at least 100+ people. It was decided to have at least a small SOAP in Calgary on September 24 / 2005 anyway. I personally expected only 10 to 12 people tops with less than two weeks to get the word out. I expected most people I browbeat in to coming and supporting or SOAP efforts in Calgary. Most did not come either. I was shocked to see all the people that did turn out for Calgary 420’s SOAP. Bongs & Such, Next Level, Grant Krieger (10+ years as a cannabis warrior) and many others.
Sadly our professional media man with the professional video/audio equipment could not make it due to health issues. It turned out to be a success, much better then I expected with less than two weeks of promotion. We all enjoyed SOAP in Calgary. We also picked up some more Calgary 420 supporters too. People were honking their horns and waving at
us.
Many flyers were handed out to passersby and even some passersby found cannabis seeds so I was told. All the people that showed up walked away with cannabis seeds they found and glass pipes or one of three bongs and a t-shirt no one left without a pipe or t-shirt we all made sure of that. As luck would have it my wife left her leather jacket behind with all her ID and other plastic. No surprise she was so busy the whole time making sure everyone got a t-shirt if they did not win a pipe or bong, handing out flyers and information sheets, running the camera and somehow still found time to hold up signs and speak with the megaphone to the crowd. One the super lady I am so lucky she loves me so much. After getting home the phone rings and it is Grant Krieger (kriegerfoundation.com).
Grant had been contacted by a person that was at the Calgary SOAP and he had found my wife’s jacket. He had come back after getting some personal business done to find we had left. He saw the jacket and knew who’s it was right away. The very helpful and friendly lady he had met at the Calgary SOAP earlier that afternoon. We drove down to his home and picked up my wife’s jacket. We also gave him a new bong for being such a cool and honest cannabis consumer.
Calgary 420 will be organizing more cannabis events & rallies, BQ’s, Christmas and/or New Years party, Hemp festival in 2007, The global
Million Marijuana March in May 2006, April 20 at 4:20 PM cannabis smoke in and more. Lots of great giveaways and prizes at all Calgary 420 events thanks to all our very generous sponsors. Calgary 420 is intended to be a Calgary marijuana community where we all can come together to stop these unjust cannabis laws on the books today. Put aside whatever our
differences are and come together at least until we have legalized cannabis for adults.
-KanMan
