Nashua Telegraph Coverage of 420 Crackdown

by Ian | Mar 23, 2010 | 5 comments

First, here is the followup story and video from the Telegraph’s Patrick Meighan (the original story from Saturday’s arrests is posted below it):

NASHUA – The men and women who waged a protest this weekend on Library Hill were bound by a philosophy of personal liberty as much as by a shared belief that marijuana should be decriminalized, said a city resident who participated in the demonstration.

Three people were arrested at the demonstration, which was deemed as a “420 celebration,” said Ryan McGuire, 29, who moved to the city two years ago from Utah as part of the Free State movement.

The term 420 refers to the consumption of marijuana, though its origins are disputed, with theories ranging from a group of California teenagers who would smoke pot at 4:20 each afternoon, to 420 denoting a police scanner code for suspected marijuana possession. The demonstration included some people openly smoking marijuana while others carried signs and chanted in support.

The protest wasn’t organized by one person or group but came about through a loose network of people connected through social networking, McGuire said. It included members of an organization called Free Keene as well as some Free Staters, he said. (more…)