Hundreds of UVM students gathered on the Redstone campus green to smoke weed and celebrate 4/20.

Students began arriving around 4 p.m. for the annual event and dispersed around 4:40 p.m. UVM police arrived well before the students to set up a perimeter around the green.

“It’s a classic UVM event,” said first-year Sophie Berg, who came out just to watch. “I felt I would be remiss if I were to miss it.”

Sophomore Sydney Haas said the excitement drew her out to the event, but she was still deciding if she would participate.

Sophomore Maggie Maziejka, who attended with Haas, said she came solely to observe because it is fun to watch.

She thinks the 4/20 event was bigger this year than last year, she said.

Sophomore James Schaal said he came out because his significant other was there. He doesn’t smoke often but thought this would be a good time to, he said.

UVM police officers stood around the green keeping an eye on the crowd and the spectators.

“4/20 is typically an event that folks tend to gather for, and our job out here is really just to ensure the safety of everyone involved,” said UVM police Lieutenant Mandy Wooster.

A new law to legalize recreational usage of marijuana for those over the age of 21 will go into effect July 1, Wooster said. Regardless, UVM’s no-smoking policy forbids smoking marijuana on UVM property.

UVM has sponsored an alternative to 4/20 on Redstone green through the Wellness Environment’s “5K for Wellness” walk/run which occured in a different area on campus, Wooster said.

UVM police try to steer people toward participating in the WE 5k, she said.

Wooster is not sure if the annual WE 5k has led to a decrease in attendance to 4/20 on the Redstone green, but she hopes it has, she said.