Pro-Medical Marijuana Rally Short on Attendance; Many Planned to Go but then Got Stoned
Written by Blaze N. Haze Thursday, 03 November 2011
A political rally against several local referendums hoping to make medical marijuana dispensaries illegal in Steamboat Springs and Routt County fell short of organizers' expectations, as only a handful of medical marijuana dispensary owners and their employees showed up. Several reasons for the low turnout were suggested by those in attendance, with most of them guessing that the hundreds of backers who said they were going to the rally "probably got stoned and forgot."
Expected pro-medical marijuana rally attendee "Bug" was unable to make the big event on the Steamboat Courthouse lawn, as 4:20 came and a new episode of Phineus and Ferb was on.
"We think we made a pretty big mistake holding the event at 4:30," said Mahalo's dispensary owner Sai Ko Ward. "We wanted it to be late enough that people didn't have to leave work too early, but early enough so they wouldn't miss dinner or 'family time.' But it seems we forgot about the 4:20 effect."
According to Ward, many of the expected attendees likely "sparked up" at the traditional time of 4:20 p.m. and simply got "sucked in by their couch."
"That's too bad, too," added Ward. "As we had some really good snacks, and my buddy Six-Ball made a bunch of killer fruit smoothies that were out of this world, man! I know the card-carrying medical marijuana community would've really dug the whole scene. Plus, we could've made some really good protest signs. I had all this colored paint and stuff."
Disappointed by the lack of turnout at 4:30, those in attendance at the rally began to call their friends, who had promised "on their bags of Blueberry Kush" that they were going to be there for the demonstration.
"What do you mean, you forgot?" asked King Fisher, co-owner of Rocky Mountain Highs, a medical marijuana dispensary in Steamboat Springs, into his cell phone, presumably to an expected rally goer. "I don't care if Spongebob is on. Just get everyone's butts in the van and get over here! Oh, and don't forget to turn the stove off before you leave. You can make the mac'n'cheese when you get back."
"This isn't good," Fisher later admitted. "We're trying to show how marijuana users are responsible, taxpaying members of the community, and we can't get together for our own political rally? I guess that's why they call it dope ... Wait, don't quote me on that."
However, organizers of the poorly attended rally believe they won't make the same mistakes during the upcoming important election, which will decide if all of their businesses become legislated out of existence. In fact, they believe they have a full-proof incentive plan to encourage their supporters to vote.
"We're offering a free edible to everyone who shows up at Mahalo's with one of those little 'I voted today' stickers on them," noted Ward." And they have to be fresh looking, not last year's or when they voted that one time for Obama. And they have to be the authentic kind used by the pollsters. We know what fakes look like."