Talking to the Woman Who Helped Turn 4/20 Into a Weed Holiday

As you're lighting up this April 20, consider raising a blunt to Danna O'Donnell. Because if it weren't for her, 420 celebrations as we know them today might not exist.

Vancouver's annual 420 smokeout now claims to be the longest running event of its kind, and back in 1995, folks that remember say it was O'Donnell's idea to camp out across the street from HempBC's headquarters for an afternoon. She and coworker Cindy Lassau first pitched the cannabis rally idea to Marc Emery, who apparently rejected it at first.

"Danna was the one who really wanted to make it happen," longtime pot organizer Dana Larsen told VICE. "There were a few one-offs before, but this is the world's longest, continually-running 420 rally. Nothing else has been going on for this many years."

420 was already popularized as every stoner's favourite time of day since the 1970s, but the calendar day thing was still relatively new. As early as 1991, the Grateful Dead were passing around flyers suggesting it, and then a High Times writer jumped on the bandwagon, bringing the April 20 smoke-a-thon closer to the mainstream.

It's certainly possible that other cities independently began their annual smokeouts close to the same time, but Vancouver's tradition is one that stuck early, now drawing more than 20,000 people. As known exaggerator Emery has told it, Vancouver's first 420 boasted live music stretching into the evening, and 200 attendees. But O'Donnell says it wasn't like that. She remembers a few tables and guest speakers, gathered for not much longer than an hour.

VICE caught up with O'Donnell to ask what she thinks of the hazy all-day street party that her tiny rally has become.

VICE: So How did it all start?
Danna O'Donnell: Back in '95, I was working at the HempBC shop that Marc Emery had started, and the store had really just begun. And a lot of people were coming in and asking about getting involved. They wanted a way to be an activist, and I had this studio space across the street. So, basically, I just put it out there, and had a meeting one night, and invited anyone who had been inquiring about what they could do. I had them all over, and we decided to form a group, have regular meetings, and came up with a name that night: Hempology 101. Our motto was "Legalization Through Education," and our goal was to do whatever we could to educate people about cannabis. We were setting up tables at events, raves, at the universities. Handing out information when we could. And 4/20 was coming up, and of course, 4:20 was already an important time of day for cannabis activists, so we thought 'Well, why not do something?' And a plan came together. I talked to Marc Emery about it, and he wasn't entirely supportive at first. But I guess I can be pretty stubborn.

From what I understand, 4:20 was well-known amongst pot-smokers as a time of day to light up, but celebrating on the day itself was a new idea. Had you heard about other April 20 cannabis celebrations?
Well, no. It just made sense. It was really obvious to me. "Hey, it's 4/20. Let's do a thing at 4:20 on 4/20." It seemed appropriate. We put it on across the street in Victory Square Park. We arranged for a PA system, and ran an extension cord across the street to HempBC, and that was the first one. And that was the spark that got the fire going.

Can you tell me a bit about the first event? I've read that it lasted most of the day, and that the crowd was small—maybe 200? Does that sound accurate?
I don't think it went so high. Then again, I'm not all that good at judging. But the vibe was good. It was a grey April day, from what I recall. We wanted to show civil disobedience, and let people be who they are, just like today. There was smoking going on, and people sharing cannabis. We also didn't go very long—it wasn't much more than an hour, around 4:20. It wasn't a full-day event or anything, like it is now. We had speakers. I believe Marc [Emery] spoke. There were tables set up with information about legalization, about hemp. People were curious.

Did you have much police interference?
Not really, no. I mean, I'm sure we were being investigated. Anyone who was working with Marc Emery at the time—if we weren't being investigated, I'd be very surprised. But I don't think the police felt we were a threat. We were just another protest. They let us do our thing.

And how long did you stay involved on the planning side of putting that on?
Not very long. Just that first one. I basically put it together, and then my life changed, and I ended up moving to the Kootenays with my now-husband. I might have been what got it started, and provided the space for activists to come together, and helped with a lot of the organization, but after I moved out of the city, other people were willing to pick up where I had left off. Hempology 101 is still active today. It's taken off, and had other people spearhead it. They have a presence at the University of Victoria. And all our projects—the 420 rally—they were really successful. And people were more than willing to take up the torch.

Being out in the Kootenays now, do you still have a chance to take part?
Now I watch from afar. I tried watching it live last year until the feed cut out. I participate from back here. My life is pretty busy, so I don't get to go down for the festivities. We have a farm—a slaughterhouse, we raise pork, we have non-GMO chickens. A bona fide farm. I've taken a more low-key approach to activism. I'm still very supportive of the cannabis movement, and I'm still quite involved, but not in such an in-your-face sort of way. I've got a family and a business now, so I'm trying my best to be good.

The event has obviously changed a  lot since those early days. With legalization around the corner, what do you think 420 is going to look like in the future? Is it going to get bigger? Or is it in danger of fizzing out with nothing to fight against?

It's going to continue. It's a tradition now—going for this many years. People aren't going to give it up. But it will definitely change. Even though it started off as a protest and a way to educate people, it's become a really fun event. It's a celebration. Different people in different cultures have different things they do. New Orleans has Mardi Gras, and that's not going away anytime soon. And I think 420's here to stay, too. It's just going to keep getting bigger. And legalization will allow more people to come out of the closet and celebrate cannabis. I can see it growing. I hope it does, anyway.