The year 2017 brought in a new ray of hope for the cannabis lovers when they woke up to see the famous Hollywood sign read ‘Hollyweed’ instead of ‘Hollywood’. This iconic landmark was erected in 1923 near the summit of Mount Lee in the Hollywood Hills.
Cannabis was legal in some states of the US for medical purposes, but now many states have voted in favour of making it legal for recreational purposes as well. As the voting procedure was on for the Presidential election so was the process to legalise the use of marijuana in many states of America. There are nearly 29 states in the US now that have laws for medical use of marijuana and now many are trying to gain rights for recreational purposes too. Trump, during his election campaign, has promised that he will not tamper with the existing laws of the states.
The tourists were confused to see this sign change, but those supporting cannabis were ecstatic. With California passing Proposition 64, the entire West coast is now a legal enclave for using cannabis for recreational purposes. This sign change was thus seen as a signal of support. While the Californians will take some more time before the legal procedures are completed, the famous Hollywood sign changing to Hollyweed is taken as the symbol of celebrating early.
People supporting the cause are considering it as a nod to their efforts for legalising cannabis; however, the LA police are not happy about the prank. The police officer Christopher Garcia, while confirming the prank, said that the surveillance footage shows that the act was done somewhere between midnight and 2 am local time. There are sensors on the sign to alert the police of any strange activity, but the mischievous person was smart enough to bypass them and perhaps used tarps to replace O’s with E’s.
This is not the first time that it has been the target of pranksters. Back in 1976 too, it was changed to ‘Hollyweed’ on 1 January by Cal State Northridge student Danny Finegood and few of his friends. Then the state law decriminalised the possession of small amounts of marijuana and to celebrate it the sign was changed by these youngsters.
