Pubdate: Sun, 19 Aug 2007
Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer (WA)
Copyright: 2007 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Contact:  http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/408
Author: Brad Wong, P-I Reporter
Note: There is a 22 photo slide show currently at the Webpage: link above.
Cited: Seattle Hempfest http://hempfest.org/drupal/
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Marijuana)

POT ADVOCATES GATHER FOR HEMPFEST

Organizers bill the event as a human rights movement -- and thousands 
of people showed up along the Seattle waterfront Saturday to support it.

Wearing T-shirts with images of marijuana leaves, an array of 
advocates -- including teens, young adults, mothers and the 
middle-aged -- descended on Myrtle Edwards Park for the annual Hempfest.

About 150,000 people were expected at the two-day event, which calls 
for greater tolerance of marijuana and hemp use. Organizers say the 
gathering, which costs about $200,000 to produce, is the largest 
legal reform rally of its kind in the country.

As smoke filled the air, people relaxed and listened to reggae and 
folk music. Edmonds travel guru Rick Steves returned from Europe for 
the event and proclaimed that responsible marijuana use by adults is 
a civil liberty.

He referred to the Declaration of Independence and its call for life, 
liberty and the pursuit of happiness. "I think that's what America is 
about," he said.

Many Europeans, he added, do not consider marijuana use to be a big 
problem. Instead, they compare it to drinking alcohol.

But in the United States, marijuana gets lumped in with heroin and is 
feared, he said.

Festival crowds were so large Saturday that people were shoulder to 
shoulder in many areas.

Teenage boys sported Mohawk-style haircuts. Mothers pushed babies in 
strollers past older supporters with flecks of silver in their hair.

People wore sunglasses, as well as plenty of black clothing and fake 
marijuana leaf leis around their necks. Preachers talked about the 
gospel, fortunetellers sat on the grass and hawkers sold posters, 
clothing and food.

Near one entrance, Portland resident Tristin Ulysses, 25, sold 
smoking pipes that his friend made out of glass.

"I don't smoke pot. But I believe in doing whatever you want within 
the bounds of reason," he said. "It's ridiculous it's illegal. Other 
things hurt people more."

Advocates argue that marijuana should be regulated similar to alcohol 
and also allowed for medicinal purposes.

They believe users who are nonviolent offenders should be provided 
treatment -- and not given prison terms.

But the National Institutes of Health, a leading research 
organization funded by the federal government, notes that marijuana 
can cause memory problems and distort perception.

Long-term use can be addictive and can increase the possibility of cancer.

Shelton mother Christine Matthew, 22, believes critics are biased, 
noting that legal substances, such as alcohol, can affect the body 
and cause fatalities.

"I want to change the world," she said with her 3-month-old son next 
to her. "I think hemp in and of itself is a miracle solution to many problems."

Hemp can be used for clothing and biofuel, she said.

Many people showed up to enjoy the day, one in which the Seattle 
police didn't crack down excessively on users inside the festival's gated area.

Kyle Thayer, 17, arrived from Federal Way and quickly realized that 
many attendees were enjoying the leafy substance.

He even smoked marijuana out of a small glass pipe while police 
officers watched.

"They didn't care," he said. "There are good people here. There are 
some crazies, but it's Seattle. Everyone is chilling."

Woodinville resident Jane Gallagher, 50, showed up at the event out 
of curiosity. "It's pretty amazing to see everyone," she said. "It 
blew me away."

With the park crowded, Montana resident Steve Kemple and his friends 
walked their bicycles on the pavement.

They forgot that the festival would be in full swing. But the 
marijuana supporters did not surprise the 50-year-old, who was 
visiting for the weekend.

Besides, he said, his friends often tell him: "There's always 
something going on in Seattle." 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake