As people gathered in front of the Athens County Courthouse on Saturday afternoon and smoked marijuana, an Athens Police Department cruiser zoomed by.
“That’s for number fest! That’s for number fest!” Jerod Black yelled. “It’s for alcohol!”
TACOfest was the name Athens resident Caleb Brown called the afternoon smoking gathering. He said he is “partially responsible” for the idea. Brown wore a tie-dye shirt that read “vote for Taco,” a bow tie and a giant weed leaf strapped to his back.
People in Ann Arbor, Michigan, have holding events like the TACOfest for about 40 years, Brown said. He said it is called Hash Bash.
“Since then they’ve been celebrating every year and since we did it here too, I thought we could do the same kind of thing,” Brown said.
Black, an Athens resident, said marijuana saved his life. He said it makes him a happy person and wants to share his love with others.
“I’m here because after 18 and a half years in prison, I’m out here as a legal person,” Black said. “I got to vote this year and actually try to make a difference and I lost. So I’m here to say ‘no, I’m going to fight this year and we’re going to win.’ This is the most important thing.”
Brian Busse, a junior studying marketing, said he came to the event because he found it on Facebook. The event started at 4:20 p.m. when people began lighting and passing marijuana joints.
“I just heard it was happening so I decided to come down,” Busse said. “I thought it would be a cool time.”
About 30 people showed up to the event, but several people came to take a puff and then carried on walking down Court Street. A few participants played flutes or guitars and sang.
Paul Castle, a resident of Knox County, stood by and passed out shirts that advertised Bill O’Neil, a Democrat, for governor.
“One of his platforms is legalising marijuana for the state,” Castle said. “I saw this event posted on Facebook, so I thought it would be a good place to come on down and hand out shirts.”
Joe Radwany, an Athens resident, said he believes Ohio’s marijuana laws are behind the times.
“I believe that cannabis is a plant that is being legalized across the country and Ohio is lagging behind in its laws,” Radwany said. “It’s a plant. It’s gonna get legal. I want it to be legal for everybody, not just giant corporations.”
