The sprinklers were off and the police photographers were absent at this year’s 4/20 marijuana celebration at the University of Colorado, which drew more people than ever.

About 3,000 revelers crowded Norlin Quad at 4:20 p.m. Friday for the unofficial gathering. But instead of trying to break up the event with barricades or sprinklers — or get pictures of offenders — as they have in recent years, police showed up at the annual smokeout mostly to monitor it.

Officers wrote a half-dozen tickets to students who were seen smoking, CU Police Cmdr. Brad Wiesley said. The fines are $100.

“We can’t write every person a ticket, but we can write some,” Wiesley said. “Maybe that’s enough to stop other people from doing it.”

The celebration this year fell not only on the anniversary of the Columbine High School shootings but also on a national day of mourning for the Virginia Tech massacre.

Wiesley said the 4/20 celebration “somehow didn’t seem very supportive” of Virginia Tech.

But graduate student Danny Bell, who walked through the event, said it’s important to celebrate college culture, even in the face of a tragedy.

“I think it’s good to see that life doesn’t stop because horrible things happen,” he said.

Students celebrated with a makeshift Slip N Slide, music by Bob Marley, Rockstar energy drinks and, of course, pot. At exactly 4:20 p.m., billows of smoke rose above the crowd, as revelers cheered and shouted.

Two years ago, 4/20 was nearly washed out when CU officials turned on the sprinkler system at Farrand Field.

Last year, CU police photographed students who smoked pot and posted their pictures online. Police offered a $50 reward to anyone who could identify the smokers, who were ticketed.

Wiesley said the department wants to keep students wondering what will happen, so officers don’t do the same thing every year.

He said the event would be more acceptable if it were a rally to change marijuana laws.

“Make your point, but don’t break the law,” he said.

Many in the crowd didn’t smoke pot. Nate Monson, a CU junior who watched the gathering from afar, said the celebration is “kind of disturbing,” especially because it seemed bigger than last year. About 500 more people than last year attended the event.

“This school gets a lot of bad press as it is, and this doesn’t help,” he said.

Representatives from Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation — an organization that advocates the legalization of marijuana — spoke near the Dalton Trumbo Fountain earlier Friday, where they told students marijuana is safer to consume than alcohol.

“If students are going to use alcohol or drugs, and they are, then at least they can know which ones can kill you, like alcohol, and which ones can’t, like marijuana,” Mason Tvert, executive director, said.

The “holiday” should be more than just a big smokeout celebration, and the group wants to educate and push students to join the movement to change marijuana laws, he said.

“We want to transform this from a day of marijuana use to a day of activism and action,” he said.

Policing 4/20

University of Colorado police have tried a variety of responses over the years to the 4/20 marijuana smokeout:

2007 About 3,000 people showed up at Norlin Quad, and police ticketed six who were caught lighting up and inhaling.

2006 Officers posted 150 pictures of participants online, then offered a $50 reward for each positive identification. The ID’d students were ticketed for drug charges or trespassing on the closed Farrand Field.

2005 Crowds that ignored the closure of Farrand Field were soaked when police turned on the sprinklers there. Still, no one was ticketed or arrested on drug charges.

2004 CU police made sure the gathering didn’t get out of hand, but they said it was impractical to enforce marijuana laws in connection with such a large gathering. “We don’t want to create a larger issue than we’re presented with,” Lt. Tim McGraw said.

2003 Five officers, outnumbered by about 800 people, made no arrests but did confiscate some drug paraphernalia. “Because there were so many people, we decided to keep a low profile,” Cpl. Jim Manzanares said.

2002 Officers largely monitored the crowd but also responded to a man who passed out and hit his head on the sidewalk outside of the University Memorial Center.

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