Help Hempfest Be a Happy Highlight of 2013

Hempfest is perhaps the world’s largest protestival. In 2012, more than 250,000 people attended the weekend-long event to watch entertainment, hear speakers on a wide range of topics, shop for cannabis related goods and enjoy the company of like minded individuals. With the historic legislation which passed last November, this year’s celebration promises to be the biggest yet. And the organizers are asking help to spread the word about the rules which attendees must follow in order to appease the bureaucrats.

Dabbers will be especially bummed by the banning of hand held torches. Seattle Municipal Code 308.1.(6)5 states, “Open-flame devices. Torches and other devices, machines or processes liable to start or cause fire shall not be operated or used in or upon wildfire risk areas, except by a permit in accordance with Section 105.6 secured from the fire code official.”

Vivian McPeak, the founder of the event who continues to work tirelessly each year to help the protestival continue, knows that these rules are not going to be popular among attendees but cautions following them is critical. I couldn’t possibly explain it better than he did, so I won’t even try. In the post accompanying this picture he said, “These prohibited items are not optional or negotiable for Hempfest. Getting the Seattle Special Event Permit, the Olympic Sculpture Park agreement, and the Port of Seattle use agreement every year is, to be honest, like pulling off a Jedi mind-trick Houdini magic act every single year. Please spread the word, observe our limited guidelines, and enjoy a brand of freedom that you will not find anywhere else in the entire world. We must pull it off safely, responsibly, and effectively or, frankly, this will be the last Seattle Hempfest. The chips have never been bigger, the pressure has never been so great to perform. One bonehead could ruin it for everyone. So, we will be enforcing the rules and guidelines full force, as we have made agreements that we intend to keep with the City of Seattle, which, with all the headaches and permit nightmares, has been extremely good to Seattle Hempfest. Our audience has helped us to throw 21 years of peaceful, safe protest rallies. This year needs to be the 22nd…”

We all have a part in helping keep this protestival alive. How cannabis usage plays out in Washington and Colorado, particularly in the mass media, will have massive implications on winning over the larger public for cannabis reform in other states and nationally.

For those of us lucky enough to be attending this year’s event, let’s make sure to follow the rules. There really aren’t that many of them. Following a handful of rules is not so much to ask in exchange for all the fun to be had at the event. We can also help spread the word by sharing this picture with friends and family who might be planning to attend or who might know people who are. As Vivian wrote, ” Thanks in advance for everyone’s support and assistance in rocking it ONE MO” TIME, this time with feeling…”