The SFPD vows “the consequences probably won’t be favorable” for would-be Hippie Hill 4/20 crashers, and local cannabis bigwigs are making efforts to keep stoners staying at home.
The above scene of Golden Gate Park going up in smoke at 4:20 on 4/20 will not be happening this year, as the event was cancelled a month ago amid shelter-in-place, and the SFPD insists they will barricade the Robin Williams Meadow area with fences, roadblocks, and the threat of arrests. “If you plan to show up, the consequences probably won’t be favorable for you,” SFPD chief Bill Scott said at a press conference covered by KPIX. “If we have to cite, if we have to arrest, we will. But I want to make it clear that 4/20 is off this year, it’s canceled. Please think of the health of, if not yourself, the people you care about.”
A heartfelt message from the Ambassador of the Bay Area, @E40.
— London Breed (@LondonBreed) April 17, 2020
Don’t gather for 4/20. Stay home, stay safe. Protect your family and your community. pic.twitter.com/MWHAIVpJeG
Well-known heroes of the Bay Area cannabis scene are using the carrot instead of the sticky to ensure that reefer revelers remain at home. This morning, mayor London Breed posted the above video from hyphy icon E-40 wherein he emphasized that going to the park during stay-at-home orders would be dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb. “I really want you all to stay in. We all love 4/20,” he says. “But please don’t disobey the game.”
Another homegrown hip-hop star is the namesake of the Upper Haight’s new dispensary Berner’s on Haight, and that cannabis shop is also making proactive efforts to encourage people to stay at home.
“The Berner’s on Haight team at 1685 Haight recognizes that as the only cannabis store in the Haight-Ashbury or near Hippie Hill, we have a unique role and responsibility in helping SiP [shelter-in-place] succeed during 4/20 this year,” the dispensary said in an announcement. They just launched their delivery service, and the well-known Berner, who was a driving force behind legitimizing the formerly outlaw party, is participating in some of the numerous star-studded stoner livestreams scheduled for Monday, April 20:
- Higher Together: Weedmaps had been the main sponsor of this year’s 4/20 Hippie Hill celebration, and their consolation webcast will feature a 4:20 DJ set from Wiz Khalifa, Berner giving away $5,000 worth of Cookies gear, and Billy Ray Cyrus strumming an acoustic set. (Noon-5 p.m.)
- Highstream 420 Festival: The big national smoke-out festival with Melissa Etheridge, the Disco Biscuits, the Pharcyde, and Ape Drums of Major Lazer also has Berner on the bill handling the East Coast 4:20 duties which would be 1:20 Pacific Time. (1-7 p.m.)
- The Great American Sesh In: Thievery Corporation’s Rob Garza, Too $hort, Cypress Hill’s B-Real, and Tommy Chong will all make appearances at this one, with the 4:20 honors being handled by members of Jane’s Addiction, Pink Floyd, and Fishbone. (11 a.m.-6 p.m.)
- Come and Toke it with Willie Nelson: Mix some Whiskey River with your pot, in Willie Nelson’s 4-hour and 20-minute-long party, which begins at 2:20 p.m. local time, for Willie lives in the Central Time Zone these days. (2:20-6:40 p.m.)
- The Ganja Yoga 420 Experience: If you're missing your group yoga sessions, here's an all-day lineup of mota yoga, meditation, and self-massage from high-profile teachers and healers across the state. (11:30 a.m.-5 p.m.)
Again, we remind you to please stay at home for 4/20, as there are plenty of local cannabis delivery services for people who know what time it is.
Related: Which SF Cannabis Dispensaries are Open, Closed, and Which Ones Deliver [SFist]
Image: Joe Kukura, SFist