VANCOUVER — Several shoulder-high mounds of black garbage bags on Vancouver's Sunset Beach were all that remained Thursday morning after the city's annual 4-20 cannabis rally.
A crowd estimated by police at about 20,000 crammed onto the beach Wednesday.
Vancouver Police Sgt. Randy Fincham said no arrests were made, although the marine unit rescued one person from the middle of False Creek, and shooed an overloaded dinghy back to shore.
Vancouver Coastal Health says 16 patients were treated in hospital, all for minor ailments, while Fincham said paramedics handled 25 calls at the scene.
Last year, health officials said that more than 60 people were treated in hospital for complaints of symptoms ranging from upset stomachs to acute anxiety and psychosis.
Three-quarters of them had consumed edible marijuana products.
It was the first time the 4-20 event has been held at Sunset Beach, after sheer numbers of revellers and construction outside the Vancouver Art Gallery uprooted the event from its downtown site.
Park Board Commissioner Sarah Kirby-Yung said the unsanctioned celebration was not wanted and would not be welcomed back, while staff say a report on clean up and other costs should be ready within days.
