https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle-old/401/hempfest.shtml

The nation's largest annual marijuana protest/festival has come and gone, again drawing record crowds and notably recording no arrests of any kind. The now venerable two-day Seattle Hempfest drew as many as 150,000 devotees of the herb to waterfront Myrtle Edwards park for music and political speeches blaring from multiple stages, not to mention a magical mile of glass pipes and bongs, hempy wares of all sorts, and the tables and booths of numerous political and social groups.

"The world's phattest protestival" featured numerous marijuana reform movement luminaries as well as friendly Washington state politicians, including Seattle city council member Nick Licata, state Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Wells, NORML executive director Allen St. Pierre, and recent Supreme Court plaintiff Angel Raich.

In the Raich case, the court upheld the federal government's right to prosecute medical marijuana patients and providers even in states where it is legal. Since Washington is one of those states, the issue resonated strongly in Seattle. "This war is far from over. I'm not going to give up. I'm going to keep fighting until there's no fight left," Raich told a large center-stage crowd.

With the slogan "Don't Just Burn It, Learn It!" this year's Hempfest had an educational theme, with the "Hemposium" featuring exhibits, panels, and presentations on industrial hemp for food, fiber, and fuel, as well as presentations on medical marijuana and the health benefits of cannabinoids. That's in addition to the more than 90 speakers who addressed the multitudes over the two-day period.

David Guard

Chris Mulligan of DRCNet got a few moments on center stage, appearing right after headlining band Fishbone -- using them in part to pitch attendees to work for the repeal of a law that takes financial aid away from would-be college students because of drug convictions. "After leaving here today, if 150,000 people start telling Congress we're sick of them holding education funding hostage to drug war politics, things will change," Mulligan told the crowd before leading them into a chant-and-response "No More"..."Drug War." It was cheesy, Mulligan told DRCNet, "but you just have to do that when there are 150,000 people in front of you."

DRCNet associate director David Guard also addressed the crowds, although he didn't get center-stage. "This is as much a festival as a protest," he said after the event. "Maybe 10% of the people who come to this really care about the politics. But when it's 150,000 people, that comes out to a lot of people we want to reach." In addition to speaking, Guard reached the crowd through the booth DRCNet shared with Flex Your Rights, whose uniformed and sun-glassed Officer Friendly (Flex Your Rights executive director Steve Silverman) was a constant draw for curious passers-by.

In its 14th year, Seattle Hempfest is a smooth-running, well-oiled, cannabis-fueled machine that is the most public manifestation of Seattle's cutting edge position on drug policy reform. And it happens without problems. "This is a successful social experiment in legalizing marijuana, and it works," said Mulligan. "All those people, and there were no arrests, no fights, not one crime worth busting," he marveled.

It's not that pot-smoking wasn't present or that the Seattle police weren't present. They were on-scene, but appropriately laid-back. "Marijuana enforcement is one of our lowest priorities," said Seattle police spokesman Sean Whitcomb. "Keeping the public safe is our No. 1 mission at Hempfest," he told the Seattle Times.

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