Seattle Protestival draws 150,000

The 11th Annual Seattle Hempfest, probably the world's largest single pro-cannabis event, came off hot and crowded but trouble-free on August 17-18 as members of the Pacific Northwest cannabis culture, including many Canadians, flooded into Myrtle Edwards Park on Puget Sound for two days of music, speeches and cannabis commerce.

Organizer Dominic Holden told the crowd that Hempfest this year wanted people "to come out of the closet on marijuana and admit that they are responsible marijuana users" and demand that they no longer be treated as criminals. "The war on drugs is a miserable war; it is a racist war," Seattle City Councilman Nick Licata told the crowd on Saturday.

Despite vows of "zero tolerance" and a handful of arrests for marijuana sales, police at Hempfest generally behaved themselves.

Speaking from six stages scattered along the length of Myrtle Edwards Park, local and national drug reformers included Keith Stroup and Allen St. Pierre of NORML; Kevin Zeese of Common Sense for Drug Policy; medical marijuana patient Elvy Musikka; "pot pride" campaign organizer Mikki Norris; November Coalition leaders Nora Callahan and Chuck Armsbury; Ohio Hempery's Don Wirtshafter and many more.

Source: The Week Online story, 8/23/02)

More coverage and pictures at the Seattle Hempfest web site

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