Anti-prohibition pot protesters hit Parliament Hill as 420 goes after policy

OTTAWA – An annual day of celebrating cannabis culture is ramping up into mainstream political activism as the pot-smoking 420 movement takes on marijuana prohibition with rallies across Canada.

Police are advising motorists to steer clear of Parliament Hill in the national capital as a large demonstration is expected for the annual April 20 event, when pot activists traditionally partake at 4:20 in the afternoon.

The 420 moniker dates back to the pot culture of California in the early 1970s, but it became formally attached to April 20 when a group of Vancouver activists held the first day-long rally in 1995.

Anti-prohibition activist Jodie Emery says recent legalization in two U.S. states has opened the eyes of governments and businesses to the financial benefits of a legal trade in marijuana.

And she says that has given the annual 420 rallies — which have now gone global — a renewed emphasis on influencing government policy.

As Emery puts it, “we’ve won over the Man and the establishment.”