Mediaite Originals: NYC Cannabis Parade Goers Tells Us Who’d They Rather Smoke With: Trump or Clinton?

This past Saturday we took to the streets of New York for the annual Cannabis Parade to talk all about the likely general election matchup between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. It’s a pretty crazy event, and people have had a hard time believing me when I describe it for what it is: a four hour window of pot smoking — right out in the open — in the heart of Union Square.

It sounds too good to be true (depending on your personal habits, of course), but it’s an accurate description. On Saturday, dozens of NYPD officers lined the carefully-watched area, controlling the crowd with a watchful gaze. The permit for the festivities ended promptly at 5 p.m., but in the preceding hours, it was truly a cannabis celebration for all to enjoy.

This event is hardly just a day to get stoned; the parade that marches down Broadway and the subsequent rally is based around legislation reform regarding marijuana usage in the state of New York. The highly-organized event (you’re welcome) features a dizzying array of speakers, artists, and community organizers fighting to have marijuana lose its Schedule I drug status. Nationally, it is still recognized on the level of LSD, heroin, and ecstasy. A CBS News report indicated that nearly 13% of Big Apple residents smoke pot regularly, and the NYC Cannabis Parade is largely aimed at decriminalization efforts.

The organizers of the parade couldn’t be nicer to Mediaite, and allowed us great access to speak with people and cover the event. Shout out to Mediaite’s own Lindsey Ellefson and my producer Anthony Velez for helping me pull it off. And of course, our amazing on-the-street host: comedian Keisha Zollar, who can be seen performing regularly with UCB here in New York.

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J.D. Durkin (@jiveDurkey) is an editorial producer and columnist at Mediaite.
[image via screengrab]

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