The department will not be stepping up their enforcement Monday, he said, but will continue the standard patrol schedules, which places anywhere from four to eight officers on various areas around campus.

Johnson said that marijuana was not a major criminal problem on the CSU campus.

"We have more problems with alcohol than anything," he said, adding that the department kept watch for marijuana use and that they hoped to crack down on dealers on campus.

"We keep an eye open for anything," he said.

Lt. Jerry Schiager of the Northern Colorado Drug Task Force was unaware of the celebrations that take place every year on April 20, but said that, while marijuana is very present in Fort Collins, it is not law enforcement's top priority.

Schiager estimated that around 5 percent of his task force's actions were directed toward marijuana. He said the drug is a concern for his task force in that users were violating the law, but that there was not as much violent crime associated with it as other drugs.

"There's certainly lots of people that are breaking the law," Schiager said. But he added that the task force took into account the level of crime when approaching marijuana enforcement, and that their priorities were on drugs like meth, cocaine and heroin.

Unlike Fort Collins police, McGraw said his department is forced to adjust their enforcement to supervise the thousands of smokers that turn out to CU's Norin Quad each April.

"We have a finite personnel resource," said McGraw, who added that it was impractical for the police to attempt to issue tickets, and that they instead prioritized maintaining safety and preventing property damage.

For many of the estimated 10,000 people who attended the smoke-out last April the event is an act of civil disobedience for those who believe in the legalization of marijuana, McGraw said. He added that just as many people were there for the party alone.

"We're not blind," he said.

The cause for the legalization of marijuana has gained enough momentum in Colorado to place an initiative on the ballot in November 2008 that would have legalized marijuana use and possession for anyone over the age of 21.

McGraw said despite the annual event he does not feel CU sees more marijuana use during the rest of the year than most other universities.

"I would doubt on a per capita basis that there are a whole lot more (people smoking marijuana)," he said.