'4/20' Celebrants Warned to Stay Away From Golden Gate Park Monday
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) -- The billowing clouds of pot smoke and hordes of people typically seen at Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park on April 20 won't be there this year.
Last week, San Francisco Mayor London Breed told marijuana devotees to steer clear of the park on Monday.
"During 4/20, we are going to be at Golden Gate Park. We are going to fence up Golden Gate Park. We're going to have police officers out in force," the mayor warned.
The San Francisco police department says they have the discretion to cite "and/or arrest people for violating the shelter-in-place order."
Jerred Kiloh, the United Cannabis Association president, said that, although large gatherings are forbidden, celebrating 4/20 is still possible.
"Let's not spread this virus around. If we can celebrate without us spreading the virus around, let's do that," Kiloh said.
According to Kiloh, there's been a nationwide effort to encourage people to celebrate virtually, not just on 4/20, but from 4/17-4/21, to flatten their own curve, as it were.
"And it looks like the four days of celebration is going to equal the one day of celebration that usually happens on 4/20," Kiloh said.
This year, people are taking advantage of online delivery, drive-thru opportunities and curbside pickup in some California counties. Yet, despite the cannabis industry being deemed essential in California, Kiloh says it still bothers him that it has high levels of taxation, no federal assistance programs and no banking.
He hopes 4/20 is an opportunity to highlight the work that still needs to be done.
"Sometimes you have to work out the logistics internally for these financial assistance programs to really assist what is still a Schedule 1 narcotic at the federal level," he said.
Road closures in and around Golden Gate Park will be in effect Monday between 5:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.