AN ACRID HAZE hung over the Vancouver Art Gallery yesterday as potheads from around Metro gathered for the annual April 20 puff of smoke and defiance. Feeling it our civic duty, The Dependent assigned photographers to document the celebration/protest/whatever it was, and ensure things didn’t get out of control.

At its height, the crowd numbered over a thousand, blocking traffic along Georgia, and swelled by characters in colourful costume, selling, smoking and otherwise ingesting marijuana in all its forms:

Spirits were high, supplemented by the reggae and funk grooves emanating from the main stage.

But the atmosphere took a more serious tone when serious folks grabbed the mic to talk about serious things.

Fists were pumped, slogans were chanted, but before long, the music started up again and the party atmosphere returned.

People danced.

People smoked.

People gardened.

And people wandered the crowd openly selling marijuana cigarettes.

It was a good old fashioned good time.

And the cops didn’t seem to mind.