420 Day at Hyde Park: Cannabis supporters insist event is a peaceful protest as 'weed is a gift from God'

Thousands descended on Hyde Park to mark the annual 420 Day, in which people smoke cannabis and promote its legalisation.

Marijuana enthusiasts came from all corners of Britain on Friday, including Edinburgh, Portsmouth, Liverpool and Cardiff.

Luke Adams, 26, a member of a “pro-cannabis Christian group”, said he was “glad to see the message spreading” and suggested medicinal marijuana should be legalised in the UK.

The group held a banner aloft which - claiming to be a passage from Genesis - reads: “And God said held, I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of all.

“And to you it shall be meat.”

Mr Adams said: “It’s written in the Bible plain and simple.

“Weed is a gift from God. It’s perfectly natural.

“It helps cancer, glaucoma, epilepsy... it should be being used as medicine by now.”

Alesha Woods, 21, is an arts student at London Metropolitan University.

She told the Standard: “I came just to chill out for the day. It’s a break from my normal routine.

“It’s mad that the police will tell one of you not to do something, they might even arrest you for doing something, but when there’s this many people - what can they do?

“It’s a friendly protest.”

One cannabis supporter, a 38-year-old IT consultant who asked not to be named, said: “I look forward to this day every year.

“They’ll try and portray it as if only a certain type of person comes here but weed is for everyone.

“I’ve seen people of all ages, races, whatever here.”