Wikipedia:WikiProject Cannabis/420 Collaboration Press Release Draft

PRESS RELEASE: Wikipedia editors planning a "420" collaboration in April to create and improve information about cannabis

Hello!

We're writing on behalf of the volunteers of WikiProject Cannabis, a group of Wikipedia editors who support improving and expanding coverage of cannabis/marijuana and related topics throughout the encyclopedia.

In honor of the international "420" holiday (April 20), WikiProject Cannabis is promoting a collaborative edit-a-thon from 15–30 April 2017, where both experienced and novice Wikipedia editors can work together to expand and improve Wikipedia's coverage of cannabis. Participants can help out in any way at any level, including tasks such as:
 * Creating new articles for topics we don't yet cover ("red links")
 * Improving layout and sourcing in existing articles
 * Helping with translations to and from different languages
 * Uploading cannabis-related images and videos to illustrate articles.

Please keep in mind that Wikipedia's mission is to provide readers with accepted knowledge, and is not a site for advocacy.

The announcement page for the Collaboration may be found at the following link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Cannabis/420_Collaboration (or type "WP:420" in Wikipedia's search bar as a shortcut)

If complete beginners are unsure where to start, we'll have a Talk page set up when users, anonymously or logged-in, can ask any questions about where they can help, and how to get started.

Wikipedia is the seventh-most popular website on the entire internet, with over 40 million articles in 293 languages, with English Wikipedia alone having 5.3 million articles. There are currently 1,387 WikiProject Cannabis articles on English Wikipedia, covering everything from the histories of cannabis in over 100 countries, to detailed scientific articles on cannabinoid chemicals, to pop-culture elements like film and music about cannabis. These articles get tens of millions of views annually; the following are some of our most-viewed articles (stats per https://tools.wmflabs.org/pageviews):


 * Cannabis (drug) – 8,000 views per day
 * Cannabis – 4,084 views/day
 * Legality of cannabis by country – 3,113 views/day
 * Hemp - 2,840 views/day
 * Hashish – 2,229 views/day
 * Legality of cannabis by U.S. jurisdiction – 1,943 views/day

The article "420 (cannabis culture)" Wikipedia article gets a huge rush of views each year on April 20th; in 2016 the article received nearly 60,000 views in one day.

(Please note, this is not an email from the Wikimedia Foundation itself, but from independent Wikipedia volunteers.)

Thanks for your attention, and any help in getting the word out!

Sincerely,

– The volunteers of WikiProject Cannabis