cannabisnews.com: Seattle Hempfest Seattle Hempfest Posted by CN Staff on August 17, 2002 at 10:11:56 PT By CC Staff Source: Cannabis Culture Seattle Hempfest 2001 was a terrific success! Over 150,000 supporters came out for our first ever two-day event, making Seattle host to the largest Cannabis policy reform event anywhere. The weather was great, and several new additions and expansions added to the call for reform and policy change at this year's Hempfest. The best surprise was when Woody Harrelson took the stage at 4:20pm on Sunday. "I been thinkin' about quittin' smoking" Woody quipped..."but then I remembered I'm not a quitter!" Of course the crowd went wild. But probably the most memorable moment was having former "Drugwar" POW Will Foster address the audience. Will once faced 93 years in prison for medical marijuana. Now he's one of the more articulate and outspoken activists fighting to change America's cannabis laws. Seattle Hempfest featured 6 stages this year, and the ever popular Hemposium Stage featured the hemp biomass powered "Hemp Car" -- http://www.hempcar.org -- a Mercedes model 420 that has been traveling the U.S. as a shining example of the prospects of hemp biomass as an answer to our nation's energy problems. One of the crown jewels of this year's Fest was the Casbah Teahouse Stage. Possibly the largest hemp canvas tent in the world, the Casbah is a huge Bedouin style tent adorned with prayer flags, Turkish rugs, fantastic food and teas and an entire add-on stage tent. Fantuzzi showed up and added a special Rainbow flair to the entertainment there. The DanceSafe Electronica Stage was also a new addition and a huge success. The Mainstage, Seeley Stage and McWilliams Stage all hosted world class musical support and speakers as well. This year our speaker line-up was almost a who's who of movement luminaries. Keith Stroup, Founder and Executive Director of National NORML -- http://norml.org -- came and he brought almost the entire Board of Directors with him including Stephen Dillon (Chair), Dale Gieringer (Vice Chair), & longtime Board Member Norm Kent. We were also excited to have Todd McCormick's mother Ann come out from back East to participate for the first time. Other notable speakers are almost too numerous to mention. Included were Kevin Zeese and Doug McVay from Common Sense for Drug Policy -- http://www.csdp.org -- Nora Callahan, Chuck Armsbury and Dietra Lied from November Coalition -- http://www.november.orgSeattle City Councilman Nick Licata gave a great tremendous speech calling on us all to exercise our precious freedoms of assembly. Mayoral candidate Scott Kennedy spoke, as well as Andy Ko from the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington State. Callum Francis from High Times Magazine gave a rousing speech, and then assisted the Emperor of Hemp himself...Jack Herer...on the comeback trail after courageously overcoming some significant health challenges. It was great to see that Jack's back! Other speakers to mention include author/activist Chris Conrad, Mikki Norris from hr95.org, Sandee Burbank from Mothers Against Misuse and Abuse, Oregon activists Jeff Jarvis and Tracy Johnson, Seattle Attorney Dan Merkle, Debby Goldsberry from Cannabis Action Network, Rev. Lynette Shaw and scores of others. Seattle City Initiative I-73 made its debut at Hempfest. Organizers hope to have all the necessary signatures in order to bring decriminalization to the ballot boxes next year. I-73 would make simple possession by adults lowest police priority in the city limits of Seattle. We want to see a change in the laws, and Seattle is as good a place as any to start! We are proud to welcome new sponsors The Seattle Weekly, radio stations KISW and The Buzz! While we are at it we can't forget to thank High Times Magazine, Clear Choice, DanceSafe, Northern Stars, Vintage Wagen, Common Sense for drug Policy, Hemp.net, American Music, Cannabis Culture, Test Clean and all the other great sponsors and supporters who have stepped up to the plate to defend your freedoms. This year's two day Seattle Hempfest stretched our resources and energy to the limit, but we came through it all with another victory. We invite you to come and join us now, as we forge into the future and responsibly influence reasonable change in America's laws concerning the domestic industrial use, medicinal use, and adult recreational use of the special and sacred cannabis plant. Without our steering committee, our core group, and our 1,000 plus volunteers Seattle Hempfest could never have been the huge success it was. Please join us as we plan our next exciting adventures in our quest for freedom and liberty for all. Date: August 17 & 18, 10 am - 8 pm, Myrtle Edwards Park, Downtown Seattle Hempy Trails, from all of us at Seattle Hempfest!More Info: http:www.seattlehempfest.com/main.phtmlSource: Cannabis Culture Author: CC StaffPublished: August 17, 2002Copyright: 2002 Cannabis CultureEmail: ccmag cannabisculture.com Website: http://www.cannabisculture.com/ DL: http://www.hempbc.com/articles/2451.html99.9 KISW Radiohttp://www.kisw.com/94.5 The Buzzhttp://www.thebuzz.com/main.htmlCannabisNews - Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #9 posted by Tigress58 on August 17, 2002 at 19:58:59 PT Math Problem 150,000 x 50 (states) = 10,500,000 people10,500,000 + 10,500,000 in the closet = 21,000,00021,000,000 + 10,500,00 part-timers = 31,500,00 smokers31,500,000 + 10,500,000 medical/pro, and who would if legal medicals = 41,500,000There are a lot of votes here.8 states legal medical8 states legal to grow industrial50 - 16 = 34 statesHow many are on this years election ballots?Keep going! [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by FoM on August 17, 2002 at 18:36:32 PT Tim I know what you mean about no news articles. I've checked almost every Washington state newspaper a number of time and haven't found anything. I'll keep looking.Have a Great Time! [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Tim Stone on August 17, 2002 at 18:29:09 PT Hempfest I too plan on dropping by the fest on Sunday. Being subject to random drug testing at work, I'll have to try to stay upwind. I haven't been to Hempfest since it moved to Myrtle Edwards some years back and I'm curious what the fest is like now, and how the city will deal with it. "Liberal" Seattle, my Aunt Fanny. Several times in past years the city has resorted to some dirty tricks, like deciding to hold a fire drill at the entrance to Myrtle Edwards, blocking everything and spraying water everywhere. If past years are any guide, I can unerringly predict what kind of media coverage the fest will get: a big, fat Zilcho, except for one picture with caption in one of the two newspapers on Monday morning. Oh yeah, plus one local tv station which will run its usual ten seconds of film showing some clearly underaged and very stoned kid. A festival attended by around 60,000 people of all ages and stripes (more probably this weekend since the weather is supposed to be very nice), on an important and no-longer-ignorable topic of local and national "debate," and that's all the coverage there'll be. Hope I'm wrong this year. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on August 17, 2002 at 11:57:37 PT Prime Have a great time and tell us all about it when you get back and be careful. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Prime on August 17, 2002 at 11:55:52 PT Headed there tomorrow... I'll be in Seattle for tomorrows festivities.One of my all time favorite bands, Fishbone, plays tomorrow night at 6:00 pm.See you there. I'll be the guy who looks like an undercover cop. (wink wink, know your enemy) [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on August 17, 2002 at 11:55:24 PT The GCW I just got back from The Seattle Weekly Paper's web site and nothing on their site yet. I'm glad CC did an article. Yes like the old expression: Winners never quit and quitters never win! [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by The GCW on August 17, 2002 at 11:53:37 PT A thought... At a gathering of this sort, it may be helpfull to set up shop next to a mail box, with letters made available for people to sign and stamp and mail, right there. Send letters to the prohibitionists asking them to cease caging humans for using cannabis. I would be gracious to be allowed to drink My coffee and burn My inscense while in prayer, with out the self-condemned wishing to cage Me. I go to the Father, please don't get in the way. For since You can not get in the way of Me and Our Father, YOu only put something in between You and the Holy Spirit of Truth. Prohibitionists, You only harm Your self. You only preclude Your self from the potential of the promised Holy Spirit of Truth. Untill You deceive My flock into the same pit, making it difficult or nearly impossible for them to come to Truth, also. The prohibition of cannabis is against Christ. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by The GCW on August 17, 2002 at 11:51:09 PT Got to love Woody. "I been thinkin' about quittin' smoking" Woody quipped..."but then I remembered I'm not a quitter!" [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on August 17, 2002 at 10:22:52 PT Link didn't work I can't fix the link to work in the article I don't think but here it is!http://www.seattlehempfest.com/main.phtml [ Post Comment ] Post Comment