The uber-green Pacific Northwest kicks off its herbstravaganza this month with Hempstalk 2010—a drug- and alcohol-free weekend that aims to educate and celebrate. Now in its fifth year, the Portland, Oregon-based festival continues to promote the decriminalization of marijuana for both medical and recreational use, and founder and director Paul Stanford makes no hay about the festival’s focus, stating that beyond medicinal reasons, hemp is the one naturally-occurring product that can save the Earth’s biosphere: industrial hemp fiber for paper, rope and clothing, hemp seed for bio-diesel fuel and its other abundant organic protein and rejuvenating properties. Supporters can already make a solid case for hemp as a veritable cure-all for what ails us both physically and economically, and the event aims to dispense that knowledge to create a united front. There’ll also be over a hundred food and product vendors, a lineup of musicians the likes of The Human Revolution and The Herbivores, and speakers and activists from various orgs like NORML and THCF Medical Clinics who’ll provide in-depth and up-to-date info on the fight to make hemp legal and accessible. It’s road trip time. (Jane Mast)
What: Hempstalk.
When/Where: Sept. 11-12, Kelley Point Park, Portland, OR.
Info: www.hempstalk.org.
