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.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart