We were in awe at the amount of people through the gate. A complete cross section of South African society; young and old, black, white and all the shades in between. There was the unmistakable odour of the herb in the hood from early on in the proceedings. It set the tone for the unique sight of a huge body of people openly sharing joints, jokes and anecdotes across the racial, social and economic divides.

The paramedics were busy by noon as some revelers started to drop and get very sick. We thought there was some sort of sabotage going on – laced brownies or something but no, the common denominator was a food stall. Everyone has just eaten the same lunch. The things that have to run through your mind when at the helm of a public Cannabis convention.

It was heartening to see all the city officials we’d taken the time to invite, pop in as the day evolved. There was a lot of dagga being smoked in the house and the Metro lookedon. One on duty Metro officer remarked that he’d never seen so many people just sitting around in one place before.

He had a point. It was a great gig to just get blazed and watch the world go by. The local and national media came and watched too. The party made the 8pm news and we still had a couple of hours to go. The press were generally kind to us and our event and we even made the front page of The Star newspaper. Granted, the Easter Monday edition of The Star is probably the least read of any edition all year… but nevertheless.

It’s apparent to us that more and more South Africans are coming out of the Cannabis closet. More than 3600 people came through the gate this year, double last year’s attendance. 3600 people who were prepared to stand up and be counted and connect with their local, vibrant and completely diverse culture of Cannabis users.

It took my breath away when I looked out from the stage across the crowd. By far and away the biggest gathering we’ve addressed to date. I don’t really remember what I said…
When 4.20pm arrived, Quintin Van Kerken from the Anti Drug Alliance lit my joint and with a small group of officials looking on, so did thousands in the crowd. What happened next could well have been the biggest exhale in South African stoner history.

Job done. Close to 4000 people for the briefest period of time genuinely felt what it would be like if their favourite plant were legalised and condoned by society. For 12 hours, South African Cannabis prohibition was lifted in an arbitrary back street in downtown Johannesburg. It felt good!!

A picture says a thousand words. See you at the next one…