They canceled HempFest this year, which was sort of a bummer, although I understand why they did it.
For over ten years this town has been the host of the annual HempFest rally.
Pot advocates from all over the state would show up. There were live bands playing music in the downtown square, and lots of speeches from people pushing for the legalization of cannabis. A few months ago, during the last election cycle, medical cannabis use was passed by the voters. Because of this, there was no real reason to hold another Hempfest, because the goal of the event had always been the legalization of marijuana. The lobbyists for the cannabis industry were smart in their approach to this state, which is heavily “red” and very religious. Instead of pushing for complete cannabis legalization, like they have in Oregon and Colorado, the activists focused on pushing through medical marijuana legalization. This was the smart approach, because there really are millions of people suffering who can find relief from medical cannabis. Now that it has been legalized, the next step is pushing for recreational cannabis, which requires a whole new campaign. The prevailing attitude is to let the voters get used to medical cannabis for a few years before taking the next step. Incremental change seems to work best on the political level, which means we have a few years before we can start working towards the goal of legal recreational marijuana. When that time comes I hope they bring back HempFest. Until then I will keep buying my cannabis illegally, as I always have.