Dismay at rubbish left in Bristol park after pro-cannabis event
A waste company said it has spent 48 hours clearing rubbish from a park following a public event to support the legalisation of cannabis.Heaps of overflowing bin bags were left in Castle Park in Bristol following the '420' event on 20 April - a date which has become widely associated with smoking cannabis around the world.Thousands of people attended the event, where Avon and Somerset Police made a "handful of arrests" while ambulance crews dealt with several medical incidents. Bristol Waste say it is still conducting a full clean-up operation after its crews spending 12 hours on Sunday clearing away large amounts of rubbish discarded by visitors.
Bristol City Council said a full tally of the cost to the taxpayer will not be known until the work to fully clean the park is complete.The council also said an application for a temporary event notice for the event had been submitted, but was refused on 27 February.
Police said officers seized a sound system at around 03:00 BST on Sunday, long before crowds had gathered, but still received "dozens" of calls from the public regarding noise complaints.A police spokesperson said: "In the UK, the police response involves engagement, explanation and education around drugs and drugs misuse, with appropriate interventions as and when necessary and proportionate.""However, powers to deal with the music during the daytime are limited. Officers ensured it was turned off by 11pm."Police and ambulance crews attended several incidents as the day wore on, including medical emergencies and assaults, and there were a handful of arrests."
There are a number of theories as to why 420 became associated with smoking cannabis but the most credible, according to Time Magazine, is that it dates back to five teenagers in the 1970s.The group, from Marin County in California, adopted 420 has shorthand for 4:20 in the afternoon - the time school was over and they could take the drug.One went on to become a roadie for rock band the Grateful Dead, who adopted the phrase themselves and popularised it among their fans.The term snowballed, and 20 April is now marked with public events all over the world.
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