Pubdate: Thu, 21 Apr 2016 Source: Porterville Recorder (CA) Copyright: 2016 Associated Press Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/AJm5UIc8 Website: http://www.recorderonline.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2887 Author: Paul Elias, Associated Press THOUSANDS PUFF FOR LEGAL POT AT 4/20 PARTIES THROUGHOUT U.S. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Thousands sent up a cheer and a collective plume of marijuana smoke at the stroke of 4:20 p.m. Wednesday in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. They gathered at the park's "Hippie Hill" to toke up, eat and drink the afternoon away into the night. A plane dragging a banner encouraging attendees to "smoke weed" circled overhead, while unlicensed vendors set up tables and makeshift tents to sell all types and strains of bud, not to mention T-shirts, pipes and food. This year's celebrations of all things marijuana throughout the U.S. come amid loosening restrictions and increasing tolerance for the plant's use from Alaska to Massachusetts. Fans of the drug have long marked April 20 as a day to roll weed or munch on pot-laced brownies and call for increased legal access to it. In San Francisco, a man was asking $100 for an 8-inch bud of marijuana he said weighed more than 3 grams. Nearby, liquid tinctures said to contain the active ingredient in marijuana were selling for $10 for a 4-ounce bottle. There were plenty of laced Jolly Ranchers, baked goods and other edibles available. Marlene Manning, pushing a stroller with her 6-month-old granddaughter, was glad to be back in her native California for the annual 4/20 celebration. She wasn't partaking, but said she was celebrating freedom. "This is so refreshing," the 50-year-old woman said, adding that she just relocated from Florida, where "everything is against the law," It could be the last unofficial pot holiday on which users have to call for legalization in California, with a pot initiative expected on the November ballot. The drug's use for medical purposes got approved in 1996. Voters in Nevada, Arizona and Massachusetts also are expected to consider marijuana legalization measures. And the Vermont Legislature is discussing a proposal to legalize the possession of up to 1 ounce. Recreational use already is legal in Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska. In Anchorage, Alaska, a downtown marijuana pot club scheduled a "420 Blaze Party" in a state where recreational use is legal but sales of weed aren't until later this summer. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom