Hempfest turns 21 this year and it’s become an international event before its legal drinking age. It happens during the height of local tourism fervor, and acts as a magnet for the entire region. All that hoopla lands right in downtown and the revenue it spills on our shores is enough to make local government play nice. Vivian McPeak has been one of the activists doing that two-step with the political establishment since the first Hempfest at Volunteer Park in 1991. <----more---->

“In the city’s budget, they are relying on Hempfest to happen. They’ve written it in,” McPeak explains from his Lake City office space. “They expect the hotels to be sold, and the gasoline to sell. I see both sides of it. It’s a drain on city resources and traffic downtown, but it’s good for commerce. Why shouldn’t this be one of the greener cities in America?”

Seattle has always been the Emerald tucked away in the corner, and support of cannabis culture seems to cross party lines in this area code. That political clout has seen Hempfest rally from a neighborhood gathering to a mega-fest.

“It’s hard to deny the support for marijuana when you can see 100,000 people at one spot,” McPeak says expanding on that idea. “It’s like ‘okay, there is the voter block right there.’ It’s tomorrow’s voters, if they’re not registered to vote today they will be in a couple years. It speaks really loudly, and that’s the kind of language politicians understand.”

Although the relationship seems adversarial, McPeak and the Hempfest board are pleased to work with our civic leaders and acknowledge the difficult position they often find themselves in.

“A big city is a complicated thing to manage. There are competing interests all over the map, pushing and shoving to get their way,” McPeak reasons. “And everyone can’t get their way. So it becomes about power, influence, skill, negotiating and other aspects.When things happen with Hempfest and there is some big obstacle for us, we don’t take it personally. We don’t say ‘They’re out to get us.’ So we’ve got to schmooze. But when it comes down to it, we have to lay our position down and fight like everyone else.”

HELLO, MYRTLE

“I remember looking out at one point and saying ‘There’s hundreds of people — it’s huge!’” McPeak recalls of the humble start on the Hill. “The first three years were there at Volunteer Park, then we maxed it out.”

It was 1993. For one year the growing free speech event called Gas Works Park home and a rock concert broke out. The audience was so huge it strained the quiet neighborhood of Wallingford and took the liveliness to a new level.

“That was the first big Hempfest really,” McPeak remembered. “We maxed Gasworks out in one year. We got reports that people couldn’t get home in Wallingford, couldn’t drive to their houses because traffic was everywhere.”

Emerging as a grassroots force after that display on the banks of Lake Union, Hempfest became an anti-establishment superstar. The Hempfest Board put some thought into what a perfect site would have, somewhere that could grow with them annually.

“Those were: minimal business and residential impact, adequate parking and adequate bus access,” McPeak shares recalling the thought process, “some kind of existing perimeter so we didn’t have to fence a gigantic area, and of course capacity to hold the audience. It also had to be on public property because of the nature of the event. Public parks are set aside for free speech and the right to gather, so they can’t really deny you a permit when you are doing a political event.”
They also were quite fond of the postcard setting and urban location where everyone had to take notice.

“It’s right in the face of downtown Seattle. It’s not tucked away somewhere where someone doesn’t even know if it happened,” McPeak states emphatically. “We’ve been at Myrtle Edwards since ‘95. Every time we think we have that place wired it changes on us.”

There used to be a huge vending space before the entrance to the grounds by the Old Trolley Barn, Hempfest even had dedicated parking in those days. Support swelled as staff members from England started volunteering every year. A band from New Jersey that stayed and helped tear down the stage started coming back every year (and does to this day). There were international visitors coming from Japan, Turkey, France, Germany, and as McPeak put it “we slowly were becoming an international go-to event.”

“There’s a real respect here for free speech going all the way back to the ‘Wobblies,’ (International Workers of the World Union). Progressive activism has had a home in the Northwest. We’ve got a great State Constitution,” McPeak states in a lecturer’s even tone.

In what has become a gift from Puget Sound’s blue-collar beginnings, local authorities have always made the extra effort to allow for demonstrations of this kind. A majority of us, from 4E to most of the cannabis industry, choose this part of the country because we think alike, and through our elected officials our positions are adopted.

“There are not many cities that can say their Mayor and City Attorney are pro-legalization,” McPeak points out. “It was gigantic to have them on stage last year, especially since we just sued the city. We had just tangled and they were still there supporting the issue.”

Last year construction on the “Thomas Street Pedestrian Overpass” was scheduled to take place during Hempfest, however, through legal maneuvering it got postponed and settled out of court. The same overpass is putting stress on this blossoming relationship between Hempfest and the city in 2012.
This time it was supposed to be ready for the festival and Hempfest arranged for new vending based on a third entry point. Now they are toe-to-toe again over a footbridge.

“We are the last priority every time,” McPeak laments. “We’re two months out and should be totally focused on production, yet here we are again fighting the city.”

Hempfest 21 will embrace some new programming in 2012. Given the explosion of electronic dance music scenes in mid-level markets across America, Hempfest will be giving Seattle, and the youth that drives this bottom-up music movement a voice this year. It’s not about aging hippie hospitality, it’s about igniting action and just by looking at the entertainment you’ll have all proof you need.
Hempfest received 612 pro-active requests to play Hempfest this year. There are 117 spots for acts over the course of three-days. This is a forum more than a stage, everyone wants a chance to woo the audience.

“It’s brutal eliminating acts, often acts we are personally most connected to don’t make it on,” McPeak informs us. “As soon as we book the last spot, because it needs to be in the program and be promoted in advance, the exact thing we want comes knocking at our door. Never fails. But we don’t bump somebody, if we made a deal saying they are gonna play, they play. We also have a microscopic entertainment budget compared to any event our size, so the vast majority of acts play for meals and a backstage pass.”

Always comfortable doing things differently, Hempfest knows the backdrop of 2012 with an election year and the polarizing effects of I-502 legislation, yet they have no position. Only a purpose.
“I’m looking forward to bringing both sides of the (I-502) issue to our stage,” McPeak says revealing the purpose of Hempfest as a platform for the ideas, not another opinion machine. “I can honestly say, personally, I don’t know how I’m gonna vote (on I-502).”

He’s not the only one, which is precisely why Hempfest serves a purpose greater than just a party.

On a star-studded June afternoon with former Sonics legends rubbing elbows with rock gods, the crowd rallying in support of a new arena and NBA team at Occidental Park cheered loudest for Michael Cage’s jehri curl. Fan favorite and rarely used benchwarmer Steve Scheffler was the second biggest response during roll call. <---more!--->

What made the Sonics franchise different was the celebration of it’s quirkiness. Fans embraced the characters, the disco-era uniforms, the headbands and colorful play-by-play broadcasts. Founded in 1967 as a relatively young team by comparison, that didn’t stop the Sonics from amassing a unique history.

It’s that history and the nostalgia that lingered after the vanishing act, especially with the success of our roster in Oklahoma City, that made for a special occasion. The dynamic duo of Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp took the stage together to a sea of outstretched arms that resembled a music festival mainstage. T-shirts were thrown to the crowd and those on stage began to compete to see who could toss one the farthest. Even Duff McKagan formerly of Guns n’ Roses tried his hand at hurling the promo items.

Rainier Beach High and UW alum Nate Robinson gave his usual dose of comedy mentioning that he played for Gary Payton’s AAU team as a teenager. “I’m not saying these guys are old, but…” Robinson said referring to Payton and Kemp.

Enterprising youngsters hocked their old Sonics jerseys on coat-hangers, post-grunge Seattle rock band “Presidents of the United States” opened for “Blue Scholars” a rap duo with a much younger following. To 4E’s dismay Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Not In Our House” wasn’t played a single time. But that’s our only gripe.

“Go new arena, go new arena, go…”
- Blue Scholars call-and-response with the Sonics fans

Kevin Calabro, the team’s iconic voice along with his predecessor Bob Blackburn, was on-hand and he is admired in a way that is on par with the star players. Calabro is known for his nicknames and his personal touch is woven into the fabric of the team. He dropped some signature tag lines like “Big Paper Daddy” to wild ovations. We remembered his magic carpet rides and all the good gollying of poor old Ms. Molly.

Keeping the Sonics weird is as important as resurrecting them. It’s the identity of a region, which was imprinted on a team. Even the name “Sonics” has two strange origins. One was capitalizing on the popularity of Tacoma garage rock super group “the Sonics” who were HUGE when the team was established.

The other was the Boeing Supersonic Transport (SST). This was a Concord-style jet that was ultra-futuristic and so expensive it never was released to market. In a strange way this “Curse of the SST” may have doomed our franchise to heart-wrenching relocation from the beginning. As a Seattle’s sports fan we’re used to those kinds of ironies.

To those who feel were are speaking witchcraft and superstitious nonsense consider this about the name “Sonics.” It was conjured in an era when a public contest was held to get the people’s feedback on what they thought would be good options. The Puget Sound submitted 25,000 recommendations and it was a local school teacher named Howard E. Schmidt and his son Brent who won. We visually branded the team with a series of quirky logos that became beloved over time.

That was until Howard Schultz bought the team, and hired local firm Hornall Anderson to completely “modernize” the brand identity. So while we want a team back as much as anyone, we feel it’s important that the personality comes back with it. Yuppie-friendly ambiance in a new stadium must not make the basketball experience like watching a Mariners game at Safeco Field. The park is beautiful but it’s a business/social space with small pockets of fandemonium.

The weirdness of the Kingdome, and the drippiness of Michael Cage’s jehri curl needs to be baked in to the plan to bring the NBA back. Non negotiable.

sonicsarena.com

“To be a marijuana patient and advocate comes with some negative connotations, and judgmental notions. We are looked down upon by disagreeing eyes as misfits, hippies, and perhaps my favorite – addicts. I stopped counting the amount of times I have been asked, if my use of marijuana causes me to live an inactive life… ” read more of the compelling accounts and incredible stories that come from mothers that use [medical] marijuana Read More…

One of the touchiest and most complicated issues in the entire medical cannabis world is driving under the influence, or DUIs. While it’s always been against state law to drive while impaired by any substance, the cannabis DUI — or “green DUI,” as some call it — has gotten a lot of attention lately because of recent attempts to set a legal limit of THC in a person’s blood as well as because of Initiative 502, which, if voters approve in November 2012, would set an absolute bright line limit for THC blood levels and driving. Read More…

A debate on the merits of I-502 was held on May 8th at a theatre in Monroe in Snohomish County. About 100 people attended and they were treated to one of the initiatives main sponsors, Roger Roffman who is a social work professor at the University of Washington, calling cannabis “injurious.” So why is he a sponsor of an initiative that would make it legal for adults 21 and older to buy, possess and consume one ounce of cannabis?

Roffman explained that he thinks we can do better as a society in addressing cannabis’ “harms” by bringing it into a public health model of control and working to educate and discourage people from using it. Yes, one of the main proponents of the initiative said this.

In response, Douglas Hiatt said that cannabis is “almost harmless” and that there’s plenty of science on this point. Hiatt is a longtime medical cannabis attorney and legalization advocate. He stridently opposes 502 because he says it is not real legalization—“It doesn’t take one law off the books that makes cannabis a crime,” he said at one point—and because he says he believes its THC DUI provision will harm medical cannabis patients and many recreational smokers. Hiatt is a co-founder of Sensible Washington, which has failed twice in the last few years to get enough signatures to get its own legalization initiative on a state-wide ballot.

There were other odd surprises in the debate, too. Tonia Winchester, a former prosecutor who’s with the I-502 campaign, said that 502 is a “thoughtful, articulate approach’ to legalization and said it was important that legalization efforts take a “more public health approach.” She also claimed that the initiative would protect medical cannabis patients from arrest (true if they possess only one ounce purchased from a state-licensed pot shop) and added that “502 doesn’t change DUI laws.” That despite the fact that 502 introduces a specific per se THC active metabolite level over which one is automatically considered an impaired driver and would lose their license and possibly see jail time. Under current law for someone to be convicted of a green DUI, proof of actual impairment is required.

“You can’t say that it doesn’t change the law, when you take away one of the defenses,” said Hiatt.

The debate was much like that—a lot of back-and-forth over specific provisions of the initiative with not very much being settled or agreed upon. But toward the 90-minute debate’s end something odd happened not long after Hiatt had again declared that cannabis use is almost harmless. Roffman took it upon himself to address Hiatt on this point.

“It is injurious to young people and their families,” Roffman said. “There are people who are victims of marijuana. To hear an advocate say it’s close to harmless is troubling.”

You are welcome to make whatever sense you care to out of that. More 502 debates are coming, including one next week on Whidbey Island.

Because I’ve long been involved in cannabis issues, I need to let you know my conflicts of interest (which is something The Stranger won’t do). I’m a co-founder of Sensible Washington and was co-author of its two legalization initiatives. I was campaign director for I-1068 in 2010. I was kicked out of Sensible Washington for my work on medical cannabis in 2011, when I co-founded the Washington Cannabis Association and worked on S. 5073 and various successor bills in the State Legislature. I’ve worked with the ACLU of Washington, the prime force behind 502, on medical cannabis issues in Olympia. For the record, I am currently neutral on I-502.

Today on the couch we watched an episode of MTV True Life that portrayed Americans involved in the marijuana business. Profiled are the lives of four young individuals: First is Ashes – a 25yr old illegal street dealer, next is Gema & Pa – a couple from Colorado with a start up MMJ edible company. And last but not least Chris – age 27 from Weston, MA who moves across coasts to attend Oaksterdam University and become a grower in Cali’s MMJ industry… Read More…

The first two months of the year were certainly significant ones politically for medical cannabis in Washington State. In January, a bill (S. 6265) was introduced in the State Senate that would have created a system on non-profit patient cooperatives and would have given arrest and prosecution protection to patients who signed up for a voluntary state-run registry. It was authored by State Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D-Queen Anne), a longtime champion of medical cannabis issues in the State Legislature. Read More…

You may have heard that there is a medical cannabis bill in the State Legislature this year — or maybe you haven’t heard at all. Either way, S. 6265 is moving fairly quickly through the Washington State Senate. It was voted out of the Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee on January 30th and was sent to the Senate Ways and Means Committee. But instead of holding a public hearing and committee vote on the bill, Ways and Means Chair Sen. Ed Murray (D-Capitol Hill) decided to move the bill directly to the Senate Rules Committee, a formal stop before the bill goes to the Senate floor for a vote by all 49 State Senators. While we don’t know the exact date of the floor vote yet, it looks like it will happen in the next week… Read More…

You may have heard a large explosion around the question of cannabis legalization recently, complete with activists of every stripe making all kinds of accusations and counter-accusations. That’s because an email written by Allen St. Pierre, the longtime executive director of NORML, was leaked to the CelebStoner.com website, which published it in early January. In it, St. Pierre appears to trash medical cannabis and, to some peoples’ thinking, medical cannabis patients while trumpeting legalization efforts. There’s always been tension between medical cannabis advocates and legalization advocates on all kinds of front going back to the early-1990s — disputes over rhetoric, politics, fundraising and pretty much anything else you care to name. Read More…

Late last month, Colorado’s Governor formally petitioned the Drug Enforcement Administration to reclassify cannabis from its current has-no-medical-value-and-is-dangerous (i.e., Schedule 1) place on the DEA’s schedule of drugs to Schedule 2, where it could be be researched and prescribed. That brings to four the number of governors who in recent months have called on the feds to recognize that cannabis has medical value. Read More…