Weed Fest Shootings: Denver Marijuana Advocates Claim Pro-Pot Ralies Hurt Legalization Efforts

Gun violence interrupted Denver's annual 4/20 marijuana festival this past weekend and some say the incident could harm the marijuana movement at large.

Three people, including a child, were injured by bullets fired during the opening the day of festival on Saturday, resulting in the second day of activities the following day being cancelled. More than 80,000 people, a record crowd for the 4/20 marijuana festival, poured out on to surrounding Denver streets following the shooting. Authorities released descriptions of two suspects, but no arrests have been made.

Marijuana legalization advocates say the shootings, and also the festival itself, could damage legalization efforts by giving marijuana, and its users, a negative public image.

"If organizers wanted to give the feds a reason to come raid Colorado, they succeeded. This whole episode will take legalization efforts several steps backward," said Jessica Peck, a Denver lawyer and marijuana-decriminalization advocate. "The vast majority of legitimate industry condemns these events, but most people watching television coverage of the event will see instead images of a 30-year-old stoner... rambling about how great pot is." 

Joe Megysey, a spokesman for the Amendment 64 campaign, argued that this is "not a marijuana problem. This is a gang problem," citing a shooting at a Denver jazz festival last year. However, he also believes that marijuana rallies do more harm than good in terms of legalization efforts.

"As we move toward normalizing marijuana and as legalization moves forward, these kinds of rallies will become a thing of the past," he says, "They're almost like civil disobedience now."

Colorado is one of two U.S. states where marijuana for personal use is legal. Amendment 64 allows someone 21 years of age or older to possess an ounce or less of marijuana. However, it is still not legal to sell the drug. State lawmakers have submitted proposals for how to distribute and tax the drug, but have not finalized any regulations.

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