Pubdate: Mon, 02 Aug 2010 Source: Sudbury Star (CN ON) Copyright: 2010 Osprey Media Contact: http://www.thesudburystar.com/feedback1/LetterToEditor.aspx Website: http://www.thesudburystar.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/608 Author: Lindsay Jolivet CANNABIS FESTIVAL SPARKS CONTROVERSY Greater Sudbury's first annual Cannabis Festival was not without its share of controversy. The city denied organizers a permit to use Memorial Park grounds. Organizers were also denied insurance from the city and several other insurance companies, said co-organizer Kayla Guse. Insurance companies said they were high risk, she said. The day before the festival, Friday at about 4 p.m., organizers discovered they were without permit and insurance. They decided to go through with the event anyway, calling it a peaceful protest. Due to the problems, many of the musicians booked to play in the park Saturday afternoon backed out at the last minute, said Guse. Her purpose for creating Cannabis Festival was to reduce the stigma around medical marijuana users with chronic illnesses. The festival was also to promote hemp as an environmental alternative for fuel, concrete, paper, body oils, soap and other things. "The uses are unlimited," said Guse. She began to believe in the benefits of cannabis while in Toronto. "I started by going to really large rallies in Toronto and I wanted to bring some of that culture here because we are in a society where everything is progressing and in Sudbury we don't have much. "I just wanted to do something for the community to get people involved, aware about the prohibition and how it really affects everybody else," said Guse. She was disappointed that she could not find support. "I wanted to ... just have a fun day for everyone to get along and show the city and everyone that we're here in peace, we're here to just get along, have fun and ... that's it," said Guse. Jamy McKenzie, owner of Delta 9 Culture Shop, took over the organization when the problems began, choosing to set up in Memorial Park without a permit. The park is next to the Greater Sudbury Police Service station and McKenzie had already spoken to an officer shortly after the event began. McKenzie said he told the officer, "we are here peacefully protesting our views. We're not here to harm anybody. "I guess you could call it a cannabis hemp protest," McKenzie said, "but now it's been geared toward the fact that we're not able to collect and have an established event," he said. McKenzie is a medical marijuana user himself, he said. He has four chronic illnesses and believes medical marijuana has changed his life. He was once paralyzed, but has regained the ability to walk. "Cannabis has not taken away everything but it has helped me cope and run a business, run my family," said McKenzie. Despite complications, about 75 people had passed through the festival, said McKenzie. Tara Miron, Tim Lachance, and Chris Pierini came to the event "just to check it out," said Lachance. They wanted to show people that marijuana wasn't all bad, said Miron. None of the three are medical marijuana users and they had not heard about the use of hemp as a natural resource. Guse was unable to charge the original $5 admission to raise funds for another festival next year, but she held a few raffles instead. "I'm still hoping to keep this as an annual event, and with the turn out today, we will be taking it to the next level." said Guse. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart