Pubdate: Tue, 10 Apr 2007
Source: Banff Crag & Canyon, The (CN AB)
Copyright: 2007, The Banff Crag & Canyon
Contact:  http://www.banffcragandcanyon.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1033
Author: Kevin Duncan

SOMETHING GREEN AND LEAFY THIS WAY COMES?

The looming date of April 20 brings with it this question, have we
traded in our hacky sacks for glow sticks?

420 is a term used in cannabis culture to describe the use of
marijuana, and although the exact origin of the term is unknown, the
end result is a day in which weed lovers alike smoke proudly on the
20th day of the fourth month.

Whether or not you condone or condemn the use of the drug, the
question is, will local pot smokers have problems lighting up this
year on the annual celebration?

Being a dog owner I tend to take to the streets for daily walks and I
have been approached numerous times by strangers to see if I have any
marijuana or know where to get some.

Although this is not a new found happening, and not one strictly from
my time in Banff, it is one that has increased dramatically during the
last month. The fact of the matter is that these days I can't get much
farther than 20 steps before someone discreetly pulls me aside in
search of it.

Now I'll admit, if I was one of these people and in the same
predicament I might also approach someone like myself who is as
unshaven as he is unkempt. But the fact that my cleanliness is far
from godliness has nothing to do with the reality that it is
apparently more difficult for those seeking the drug to find it in
town than it has been in the past.

Some people reading this might think that the war on drugs is finally
curbing the frequentness of mind-altering experiences but the fact of
the matter is the current problem is that someone can score a line of
cocaine quicker than they can dig a roach out of an ashtray.

Originally, I contemplated starting a basement grow-op to help
supplement my living expenses, but upon further reflection having my
name appear solely in bylines of the local newspapers and not in the
court reports is a streak I'd like to keep in tact.

The problem is, from what I understand, pot dealers are becoming few
and far between as of late because they are focusing more on chemical
drugs and not the so called "gateway" to them.

The punk rock group SNFU once titled an album, Something Green and
Leafy This Way Comes, I guess here in Banff we'll just have to see if
that is true.

If not it could be a dry 420 celebration on the 20th for those who are
regular participants in the ritual , or a powdery one, and I don't
mean on the ski hills.
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MAP posted-by: Derek