It’s not a secret that many people think of The University of Colorado at Boulder as a party school. This could be due, in part, to the school’s annual “4/20 smokeout,” which takes place every April 20th in a field near the campus dorms. The event has never been sponsored nor endorsed by the school, but many students participate in the event and smoke marijuana. This year, the school is starting to crack down on the partying and is threatening anyone who is caught lighting up with at least a $100 ticket and some might be arrested.

“4/20 damages the reputation of the university and of every students enrolled here,” said CUSG Vice President for External Affairs Brooks Kanski. “Do any search online of CU-Boulder and what will invariably pop up is an image or video of 4/20. Questions about 4/20 plague CU graduates in job interviews. It’s time for all of this to end.”

The school plans to take several measures to enforce its new policies. For example, school officials will be patrolling parking spaces and enforcing parking rules to keep people from smoking in parking lots. They also plan to have enhanced patrols and presence from the state police. The school’s student government is also backing up this new stance against marijuana smoking on campus.

It seems that the school has made a pretty strong stance against marijuana usage on its campus. However, in an interesting move, they have also hired Wyclef Jean – a recording artist who often sings about legalizing marijuana – to perform at a free concert for students on April 20th.

“We are asking students to support us in the effort to protect the reputation of our institution – and do it by attending a great free concert,” said Carly Robinson, the school’s vice president for internal affairs.

Not everyone is in favor of this new enforcement. Many students have created memes that mock the new policy and have posted them online. In a state where medical marijuana is legal and many people support legalizing the drug, I am not surprised that there is some discontent on this subject and would not be surprised if many students still take a hit from a bong come 4/20.

Via The Huffington Post

Posted on April 19th, 2012 by Kelsey

Tags: 4/20, drugs, Marijuana, University of Colorado Boulder

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