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Music and 2003 cannabis rally wrapup. Photos.
Seattle Hempfest started out as a humble little gathering of stoners and has grown into one of the most sophisticated marijuana/hemp policy reform events in America. Originally billed in 1991 as the "Washington Hemp Expo", the first Hempfest started in Volunteer Park where it would stay for three years. With a meager attendance of only 500 people, and a staff that consisted of 20 members of the Seattle Peace Heathens Community Action Group, we had no way to know that we were sowing the seeds that would make Pacific Northwest history.
In 1992, organizers placed two large budding sinsemilla plants on the small amphitheater in Volunteer Park and Hempfest's reputation as a politically flamboyant but professionally astute public assembly had begun to develop. We were amazed that 2,000 hempsters showed up for the second annual event. Seattle's "grunge" scene was starting to zenith and there was no shortage of bands chomping at the bit to support the cause. We were honored to have Herer himself as our keynote speaker that special year.
By 1994 a strong tribe of dedicated volunteers had been established, and it became clear that a very special and unique spirit of community had developed around this group, a spirit that has only grown stronger with the passage of time. The move had been made to beautiful Gasworks Park, a former petroleum production site, huge towers and stacks still standing...ironic for an event promoting alternative sources of energy. Featuring legendary Seattle band 7 Year Bitch, and the sensational El Steiner, '94 brought out 15,000 people and blew the lid off of Seattle while creating a snarled traffic cluster for miles around. This was the last year that Hempfest was able to exist without charging fees for vending and forming a formal, city approved security force. The "mosh pit" that ensued ensued for 7 Year Bitch's performance put a serious scare on
the organizers as bodies surfed the crowd and the brave and daring dove from the stage like doobies being thrown to the crowd.
As the event was growing exponentially in size and notoriety, the cost of production and promotion grew as well. The need for sound equipment, staging, scaffolding, radios, and advertising required the introduction of musical benefits and merchandising to offset the monetary demands of our growing phenomenon. Famed Seattle clubs such as the Crocodile Cafe, Rckndy, The Off Ramp, and The OK Hotel all opened their doors to help raise green energy for the cause. To date, literally hundreds of Northwest bands have contributed by playing gigs for free, and without any promise of playing the "big kahuna". '94 was also the year we picked up the most kick ass graphics design team that any Hempfest has ever had. Jamie Sheehan, Hempfest's art director, and world renowned music art poster luminary Art Chantry collaborated on our famous cigarette pack poster, produced both on hemp paper as well as
100% hemp burlap. This poster was the first of many designed by this team to win national awards for art design and creativity.
The sheer girth and magnitude of Hempfest '94 brought the scrutiny of city officials and alarmed residents (traffic was clogged for miles) who saw a sleeping giant just starting to wake from a haze of political apathy and indifference. Up to that point not a single uniformed officer had ever stepped foot into Hempfest. That would change. A growing concern from police, parks department, and neighborhood groups would be reflected in a series of negotiations that would span 5 months, and involve 6 subcommittee meetings to determine our ability to meet the new demands of the "Special Events Permit" that was now required of us. These negotiations culminated with assistance from the ACLU, and required a $1,000,000 insurance policy, the addition of paid licensed bonded and insured security, strict contingency plans (emergency evacuation contingency), an on
site ambulance and paid EMT's. Meetings with concerned community groups soon followed, establishing Hempfest as a legitimate political rally, not a "pot party" in the park, as had previously been claimed by our critics.
None of us were ready for the success of Seattle Hempfest '95. This time police were very present and for the first time ever citations were issued for public smoking and there were three marijuana related arrests. The event was now located at Myrtle Edwards Park, downtown on Seattle's beautiful waterfront. Police reports said 25,000 people attended, but local news media proclaimed that the '95 event drew an estimated 50,000 people. They were greeted by speakers like Jack Herer, Chris Conrad, Dennis Peron, Bill Conde, and Elvy Musika. The legend had been born...Hempfest gained international acclaim and proved that hemp/marijuana reform supporters could gather by the tens of thousands peacefully to educate on the historical, industrial, medicinal, and spiritual uses of the cannabis plant.
Unas 12 mil personas se concentraron ayer en los bosques de Palermo para reclamar la despenalización de la tenencia de drogas para uso personal. “El castigo penal al consumidor de drogas genera un circuito de criminalización que no facilita la prevención y, por el contrario, es una fuente de exclusión social, familiar y laboral de los afectados”, dijo a Página/12 la abogada Silvia Inchaurraga, presidenta de la Asociación de Reducción de Daños de la Argentina (ARDA), una de las organizaciones convocantes del encuentro. La demostración se realizó en el marco de la Million Marihuana March, que se llevó a cabo en 225 ciudades de todo el mundo, en demanda de la legalización del cannabis.
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A total of 229 cities in 35 countries, including 134 in the US, took part in the fifth annual Million Marijuana March on May 3, letting their voices be heard against the war on marijuana. Some of the protests included thousands; others had as few as four participants, but from Abbotsford, British Columbia to Capetown, South Africa, from Dallas to Moscow, protesters gathered to call for an end to prohibition and the evil it produces worldwide. 
Global Cannabis Action Sat MAY 4, 2002 MILLION MARIJUANA MARCH: 192 CITIES
