U. of Colorado at Boulder closes campus to deter pot celebrants

University of Colorado

Plumes of marijuana smoke coiled above a modest crowd of about 15 people in front The Fitter smoke shop on University Hill Saturday afternoon as someone nearby yelled out, "4/20 in Boulder, baby!"

The public smoke session, accompanied musically by the reggae band playing next door at The Goose bar, likely represented the largest public smoke-out in Boulder this 4/20.

On the University of Colorado's Norlin Quad meanwhile, the site of previous 4/20 smoke-outs that had drawn upwards of 10,000 people in years past and put CU on the map as an nationally known marijuana-friendly school, not a single joint was sparked this year. Security crews brought in to close off the campus reported no problems.

"It's been a quite day on campus and of course, that is what we want seven days a week, 365 days a year," CU spokesman Bronson Hilliard said at a 5 p.m. press conference held on campus Saturday. "That was really the purpose today for the actions that we took. It was the purpose of the actions we took last year."

Dozens of law enforcement officers converged on the quad earlier in the day, using yellow tape to close off the grassy area that in past years staged large-scale unsanctioned 4/20 toking.

This is the second consecutive year that CU has shut down the campus to the public and entirely closed off Norlin Quad -- and officials said Saturday's observance was the quietest 4/20 in years.

Hilliard said he saw the day as a success, adding, "We protected the academic mission of the institution."

Not a single ticket was written nor arrest made on the Norlin Quad, officials said, though two students were ticketed for marijuana-related offenses outside of the Baker Hall dormitory building. Police contacted the two unidentified students at approximately 4:30 p.m., according to CU police spokesman Ryan Huff. He said one was written a citation for consumption of marijuana, while the other was ticketed for consumption and possession of less than two ounces of marijuana.

Last year, three arrests were made and 12 tickets were issued, 11 for trespassing and one for marijuana possession. The three CU students arrested for trespassing on the quad eventually saw the charges against them dropped.

By 5 p.m. Saturday the yellow caution tape around the quad had been taken down. While the campus closure officially remained in effect until 6 p.m., security crews quickly moved into the demobilization phase, Huff said. CU police received help from the Boulder police, Broomfield police and sheriff's departments from Boulder, Adams and Jefferson County, among other agencies, Huff said.

Opinions differ on campus closure

Frances Galin, 20, a CU sophomore from Chicago, was among those who took part in the smoke-out in front of the Fitter, located near the corner of Broadway and Pleasant Street, almost directly across from Norlin Quad.

A Fitter employee, Galin said she did not approve of CU's "heavy-handed" tactics in trying to shut down the 4/20 event.

"I respect what they are trying to do, but I don't think they need to be so strict, especially since it is now legal in this state," Galin said. "CU is an educational institution and should be trying to educate people about marijuana and its medical benefits instead of trying to deter people so much."

There was no police interaction with the group that gathered in front of the Fitter at 4:20 p.m., though a group of neon-vest clad police officers were standing across the street at one of the main campus access points.

Fitter owner Bonnie Dahl said she also disagreed with CU's handling of 4/20, noting previous smoke-outs had always been peaceful. She said the event also used to mean increased tax revenue for Boulder, as University Hill businesses such as hers always did well in April thanks in part to 4/20.

"The Hill really needs a strong showing, especially the restaurants," she said of her support for 4/20.

The quad was empty much of the day -- except for a buffalo made out of snow that was melting fast in the springtime sun.
glad they're shutting it down," said CU freshman Colin Peterson early Saturday. "I really don't like the smell of pot."

Peterson and his friend were headed down to a record shop in Denver to celebrate "Record Store Day."

Apart from a heavy law enforcement presence, it was very much just another day, on campus.

"People are coming about, doing their business. Some are studying; some are participating in other events here on campus," said Huff.

Huff noted that security staff around the campus reported only positive interactions with students and others at the various checkpoints.

One new addition to the closure protocol this year was the small yellow cards handed out upon request to provide reasons for, and the details behind, the closure.

The cards also provided an outlet for people to express their opinions about the 4/20 campus closure. People were invited to email 420feedback@colorado.edu with questions, comments and concerns, Huff said.

CU presence at Denver rally

CU freshman Ian Maclin traveled to Denver with a group of students because of the shut down of cannabis consumption on the CU campus.

Maclin said he understood why officials didn't want crowds of pot-smokers on campus, but added that it would have been "really convenient" to stay in Boulder.

"Nobody's really hurting anyone and that's their whole reasoning behind it," Maclin said. "(It) doesn't make sense."

In 2011, Playboy magazine named CU the top party school in the country, mostly because of the giant reefer-fest every spring.

Did CU's pot-smoking reputation factor into Maclin's decision to attend?

"Well, of course," Maclin said, laughing.

As a university library employee, 19-year-old CU freshman Jon Ho said he saw firsthand how campus officials had "beefed up" security in advance of 420.

He had taken note of the squad cars in front of the library and all over campus before he traveled to Denver to celebrate cannabis, he said.

"It's a little excessive," he said. "Campus shutting down -- I'm fine with that, but what they're doing is preventative measures. Putting squad cars in front of every dorm. It's a little excessive in that sense. Closing off campus I understand, because it brings a lot of unwanted people into the city and into the university."

The large gathering in Denver's Civic Center was marred by violence however when gunshots rang out around 5 p.m. scattering a portion of the crowd that numbered in the tens of thousands. The shots left one man and one woman injured after each was shot in the leg, according to local police. Police on Saturday night were looking for two suspects, according to reports from the Denver Post.