Hundreds attend pro-cannabis rally in Leeds after council loses legal bid to block event

Leeds City Council sought an injunction as a “preventative measure” after being made aware of plans to hold the Cannabis 420 rally on Woodhouse Moor this afternoon. The council’s application for the injunction was turned down at a hearing at Leeds County Court on Wednesday. Documents submitted to the court on behalf of the council said many people would go to the protest intending to “engage in the consumption and supply of controlled drugs”. The rally was one of a number of Cannabis 420 legalisation events held around the world today. Gatherings in Leeds and other British cities were co-ordinated by a campaign group called United Kingdom Cannabis Social Clubs. The group today claimed that Leeds’s injunction bid was the first time a council has tried to “impose” legal action against a cannabis protest. United Kingdom Cannabis Social Clubs chairman Greg de Hoedt said: “In other parts of the country, the councils and the police work directly with the cannabis communities to ensure that the public and the protesters have a safe day where everyone’s freedoms are protected.” He added: “We hope this situation means that Leeds City Council can have a more approachable and constructive dialogue with local cannabis campaigners in the future.” The council said it had gone to court after unsuccessful attempts to “open a dialogue” with the people behind the event. A spokeswoman for the local authority said it wanted assurances that the organisers had “considered and shown due diligence regarding the safety and management of those who may be attending”. Commenting on the rally, West Yorkshire Police’s Chief Insp Simon Jessup said this afternoon that officers had been deployed to patrol what he described as the “local vicinity”. Cannabis 420 events are so called because they traditionally take place on the 20th day of the fourth month of the year.