Denver Mayor Michael Hancock’s administration banned the organizer of this year’s 4/20 rally from hosting the event for three years citing a series of violations at the marijuana celebration.
In a letter released Saturday, the administration identified “substantial violations of city requirements” after conducting a review of the 2017 event and imposed $11,965 in fines and $190 in damages in addition to the temporary ban.
“We will continue to ensure that events in our parks are safe, compliant and of high quality,” said Happy Haynes, the executive director of Denver Parks and Recreation in a statement.
An attorney for the Denver 4/20 rally organization called the three-year ban “extreme overkill” on the part of Hancock’s administration and suggested the real explanation is the mayor’s opposition to marijuana. He pledged to get the decision overturned on appeal.