In what may go down as the coolest police tweet of all time, the Denver Police Department posted a message of tolerance for the "420" marijuana festivities taking place in the city over the weekend.
Late Sunday afternoon, on the second and last day of a massive annual 4/20 marijuana rally at Denver's Civic Center Park, Denver police tweeted this:
In a single lighthearted tweet, the Denver police illustrate just how far the drug war has been rolled back in Colorado -- which, in 2012, became the first state in the U.S. to legalize recreational marijuana -- with a play on lyrics from Chamillionaire's 2007 Grammy-winning song "Ridin'." By any objective standard, that is a pretty cool way for a police department to send a message to the public. When The Huffington Post sent a tweet to the police department account asking about the song referenced, the department noted that "#PoliceLikeToJamToo."
Although private recreational marijuana use has been legalized in the state, public consumption of the drug is still illegal. However, it does still occur, especially at large events. Denver police generally make enforcement of that law on 4/20 a low priority and target only the most egregious offenders.
Considering that an estimated 125,000 people attended the rally over the course of the weekend and that Denver police issued only approximately 160 total citations, it appears that police stuck to that strategy. The Associated Press reported Sunday that the police had seen no major issues throughout the weekend.
The police tweeted friendly reminders all weekend about the state's marijuana law, asking people to "consume responsibly" and "make safety a priority" and noting that officers would "prefer not to be buzzkills" at the marijuana gathering.
Although the real "Weed Day" is Monday, a new city ordinance that puts a moratorium on three-day events limited rally organizers to celebrate all things cannabis for just the weekend.
Before You Go
