Crowd lights up for legalization at 4/20 in Regina's Victoria Park

The mood was high and the police presence was very chill for the crowd of people who gathered to celebrate 4/20 on Wednesday in Victoria Park.

Carla McEwan has been celebrating 4/20 for 45 years.

“Educated freedom of choice is something that I really, really believe in and I think if a person knows what they’re doing and they’re educated and they’re careful, I don’t see anything wrong with any of it,” she commented.

Canada’s Health Minister announced a timeline to start the legislative process to legalize marijuana by next spring.

McEwan wants to see the Liberals live up to their campaign promise faster.

“I believe that marijuana – both recreational and medical – is now legal, de facto legal in Canada,” she said. “And any judge who sees a charge for possession or whatever, I think they should be petitioned to throw it out because it should be legal.”

Daniel Johnson said people are in a mood to celebrate this year because he believes legalization is right around the corner for the whole world. He wants to know what the hold up is for the federal government to introduce the law to legalize pot.

“Why delay the inevitable? They should do it now,” he said.

He claims police are cracking down more now than they were under the Harper government.

As for what the law should look like, Johnson said there shouldn’t be any kind of law on a natural plant.

“We shouldn’t have to pay taxes on things that we grow, and that’s why I was handing out seeds today because people can grow it anywhere they want,” he said.

Others in the crowd advocate for medical marijuana.

Trish said it helps her family manage their health issues.

“Two out of three of us are extremely sick, and the only thing that’s actually keeping us functioning now is being able to use cannabis,” she said.

Trish said marijuana helped her daughter a lot, and after doing some research she believes it is a much safer alternative to many legal prescription drugs.

As for recreational use, she would like to see more regulation around pot.

“Like Colorado, you have to get it in licensed dispensaries just like alcohol, age limit just like alcohol, I mean really, just like alcohol,” she said.