Canada Day celebrations of a different kind took place at a marijuana market outside the Vancouver Art Gallery Tuesday.
Though it is illegal to sell marijuana in B.C., hash brownies and fudge, dimebags and joints were all available for sale at the open-air pot market.
“We're protesting to legalize marijuana. So it’s not legal to do it but we're protesting,” one person selling joints told CTV News.
“There's too many of us, they can't throw us all in jail today. That’s our thing today,” he said. “They can't put us on all in jail today.”
“Today’s like Monopoly – ‘get out of jail free’ card. We’re happy to be Canadians. We’re proud to be here man,” another seller said.
A police officer stationed on a bike near the market said the Vancouver Police Department was keeping an eye on the proceedings from a distance in case anyone needed help. He said officers would not prevent anyone from selling marijuana.
Still, some locals who are accustomed to lax enforcement of marijuana laws were surprised by the open market.
“I was shocked actually just walking up now and seeing that they were selling it openly on the corner like that,” one parent from Vancouver said.
Vendors said events like this prove that people of all backgrounds like marijuana and it doesn’t hurt anyone in contained environments.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Shannon Paterson
