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San Francisco 420 celebration vectors to Dolores Park
With Golden Gate Park's Hippie Hill barricaded to deter 420 celebrations, some marijuana enthusiasts turned to Dolores Park to toke the holiday away.
SAN FRANCISCO - Today's date 4/20, is a day of celebration for the cannabis community. But, the celebration looked much different than in years' past.
April 20th is historically a day when marijuana enthusiasts partake in the 4:20 in the afternoon gathering and festivities, but this year, things are different.
Huge crowds would gather at Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park, and light up in unison. This year, the smoke has been replaced with chain link fences. The city closed off this part of the park until Wednesday.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed reminded people that with the pandemic, it's simply too dangerous for a large crowd to gather.
"We don't want a super-spreader event. Because the other thing people do is puff puff pass," said Mayor Breed. "So the thing is we really don't want an event like that with that many people coming together."
At the Apothecarium on Market Street, the manager said what had been a slow year is picking up. "Absolutely," said Cali Manzello. "I mean, the line beat me here this morning. They were already waiting for me to unlock the doors. This is exciting, it feels like 4/20 is back."
She says the market is shifting so that those who enjoy cannabis can do so even while social distancing.
"My new favorite product that is becoming very popular over the last few months, is little dog walker joints. Personal, self serve, single size. So, you get this little itty bitty and it's just for you and you can get a pack and share them all with your friends and so you're not crossing those boundaries."
Those looking to celebrate said they are doing so the same way they have weathered COVID-19, in socially distant pods. "Safely," said Kyree from San Francisco. "Well, social distancing in the park actually, I guess. We're just going to hang out and catch some sun and smoke some weed."
In addition to those fences we told you about, we've also heard the city has deployed rangers in parks throughout the city to discourage any large social gatherings.