Smoking Marijuana In Public: The First Legal 4/20 Celebration at the Boston Common (-Steemit Exclusive-)

We yell in joyous unison: “Ten… Nine… Eight…”

The crowd of stoners, a slice of life ranging from frumpy college students to the Hot Babes of Instagram, wall street types in suit and tie to gender-netrual punks in T-shirts, clean-cut economics majors to my own jewfro’d math-rockin’ ass, is united under one common goal: to smoke marijuana in the middle of Boston’s largest public park.

Cuz it’s 4:19pm on April 20th, 2017. After a century of amoral prohibition, marijuana is legal again. This is the first post-legalization smoke-up on the Boston Common, Boston’s largest park, for the holiday - even if, technically, public smoking is considered a petty crime.

In the past this event has been a protest, a display of civil disobedience meant to force the question to Boston’s legal system: Will you waste our city’s resources on harassing peaceful marijuana smokers in the park?

The answer has been a resounding “no” for as long as I’ve been alive. I remember live-broadcasting this event back in 2012 for the now-defunct internet station UNRegular Radio, lighting up joints and bowls right as the clock struck 4:20pm and loudly exclaiming via wifi radio feed: “We’re smoking marijuana in public on the Boston common with a couple dozen other activists! There’s not a cop in sight. Score one for the stoners!”

Back then, we knew we were playing with fire. It was within the Boston police’s rights, technically speaking, to roll up and arrest us all on the spot.

Today is a different story. The police could still fuck with us, but they have no reason to. It’s not an illegal substance. Today, for the first time in any of our lives, we’re lighting up for a legal high on 4/20.

“Seven… Six…..”

Flashback to 11:45am. My friends are rolling up joints by the dozen, Bob Marley’s greatest hits blaring on the stereo across the house. Nick, my brother, steps proudly out of his room decked out in purple jeans, leaf-shaped jewelry, and a spiffy button-down shirt.

He’s making me look bad. I run upstairs, add my watch and similar leaf-necklace to my body. I’m not even close to Nick’s fashion level. I swap for a green T-shirt. Closer, but no cigar. Oh well.

Back downstairs. James, Nick’s bandmate, is debating the merits of bringing his ceramic bong along for the ride.

Me: “I dunno, it’ll make you a big target. I mean, nothing is gonna happen, but that’s so obvious. Just in case, y’know?”

James is baffled.

J: “It’s legal…”

Me: “But, y’know. Just in case. Ya dig?”

J, Not Impressed: “OK, Fine, Alright. OK.”

He leaves the bong on the kitchen table. Marijuana will be legal once we cross the border into Massachusetts. Where we sit in Connecticut, it’s technically illegal for recreational use - though the plant is decriminalized and legal for medical use. Even though I know it’s legal in Boston, I feel nervous.

We’re all nervous. Weed is the kind of thing that gets you fired from your job, thrown in jail, levied heavy fines. That’s the message I’ve heard my whole life. Even for me, a loud and proud marijuana smoker for years, it’s a bit nerve-wracking.

The juxtaposition between smug pothead triumph and genuine fear for our own well-being defines the vibe this year. It would be safer to stay home, but Boston is far too tempting.

As we head out the door, I “shotgun” my way into the front seat. Our friend Michael is pissed, he wanted that prime spot. We’re 90 minutes from Boston, and we have no idea what to expect when we get there.

“Five… Four….”

2:00pm. Justin and I wander the three-point edge of Boston’s Financial District, Commons, and Chinatown. My cell phone claims that we can find delicious, affordable tacos at nearby Maria’s Taqueria.

We walk three blocks into Orange Line territory, where the street comes to life with loud homeless people arguing over drugs and personal conflicts. It’s the same shit as the suburbs, but louder, outdoors, and in a different dialect. Justin is moving way faster than me - he won’t admit it, but he’s not as used to this stuff as I am. I can’t stop for more than a half a second without him racing a few streets ahead.

We go four blocks in one direction, then retrace our steps all of those four blocks back to Tremont Street on the edge of the Boston Common. I point to my left. Maria’s is within sight of where we started at the edge of the park.

We didn’t have to walk four blocks, we could have just stopped and looked. It feels similar to the legal status of marijuana, which didn’t become illegal until the 1900’s. A century later, we gather in public to celebrate its legality - right back where we started.

Making the wrong move can be far worse than doing nothing at all, yet modern society is all about moving fast. Iterative thinking is popular for top performers in many technical and creative domains; techniques like meta-learning and rapid-prototyping come out of this scene. Perhaps we are iterating in the wrong direction - what happens then?

The tacos are delicious. I’ve never been more satisfied for five bucks. If you ever find yourself looking for cheap grub near the Boston Common, my vote is for Maria’s Taqueria.

“Three… Two…. One….”

4:20pm!!! THE CROWD GOES WILD! A thick cloud of weed smoke plumes overhead, signifying the city’s first legal 4/20 celebration of this magical plant.

I’ve done this before. Most memorably, I remember doing oil hits in this same park years ago, watching a friend walk up to Barney Frank - Massachusetts’s senior senator - and OFFER HIM A HIT! Barney politely declined, as Jim Gray, VP of the Libertarian party, would do a few hours later.

This isn’t about smoking in public. It’s about freedom. Every year of my life prior to this, I’ve smoked in spite of the laws, the fear, the real possibility of legal issues that could land me with huge fines or jail time. Now we smoke as a huge group, fearing nothing more than a mild citation for public smoking.

I am reminded about the importance of freedom. America has so many flaws - race relations, education, financial inequality - but we’re damned good at freedom. Free speech, the right to bear arms, the choice to stay silent before your lawyer shows up. It’s far from perfect, but we do a decent job of it all.

The legalization of marijuana is another small step towards maintaining that freedom. We do what we want with our bodies, so long as we don’t harm others in the process. Despite huge monetary interests and power brokers fighting against us, the people have won this round.

The fight isn’t over. Americans must not rest until we see full national legalization. Cops won’t be able to search your car or home for weed smells anymore, for one thing. For another, non-violent citizens will finally stop being sentenced to jail time for smoking a harmless plant.

April 20th, 2017 will go down as a landmark day in my life. I’ve never felt so good as when I smoked endless joints with my pals in a public park, surrounded by hundreds of fellow stoners, enjoying our freedom together for the first time in our lives.

What about you? Did you experience anything interesting or poignant during your April 20th celebration? Let me know in the comments.

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