Seattle’s 25th annual HEMPFEST® is upon us! And, Clear Choice Cannabis, a Tacoma-based cannabis club, will be adding a little flavor to the “protestival.” Clear Choice will host Sir Mix-a-Lot at their booth for a “meet and greet,” where fans will have an opportunity to mingle with the legendary hip-hop and crossover icon. Clear Choice Cannabis is also sponsoring a performance by solo-act, Chief Greenbud, one of the cannabis industry’s most recognized musicians.
Adam Schmidt, co-founder of the Tacoma cannabis club, Clear Choice Cannabis, said, “We are excited for the opportunity to help the artists reach the local Cannabis community and further spread the knowledge of what an amazing plant Cannabis is.”
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 25 years, you know HEMPFEST® — the world’s largest festival — (err, “protestival”) — of its kind, bringing together over 100,000 like-minded people: Musicians, enthusiasts, cannaseurs, politicians, speakers, entertainers, and, more — all of whom share a common mission: To advocate for further decriminalization of cannabis; social justice reforms; and, of course, to celebrate!
Schmidt believes events like HEMPFEST® are important for the industry and community at-large: “We believe in the value of these type of events, it gets the community involved and you can’t ask for much more than that!”
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the three-day, waterfront advocacy and entertainment event, and will feature a wide variety of acts and speakers. In addition to Sir Mix-a-Lot and Chief Greenbud, the event will feature more than 120 musical acts across six stages along with a cross-section of guests that include activists, politicians, entertainers, and more.
Guests have the opportunity to attend an arts and crafts fair, revel in the music, or get politically active by participating in a political rally. This year’s speakers in include Amanda Reiman, Ed Rosenthal, Martin Lee, Dr. Sunil Aggarwal, and many, many more.
Political since its inception, this year is no exception. HEMPFEST®’s platform includes a call on the government to deschedule cannabis from the Federal Scheduling & the Controlled Substances Act (of elevated importance, given the announced the DEA’s decision to not to reschedule cannabis from Schedule I). The platform also calls for the release of all non-violent cannabis offenders nationally; tax/banking reform; legal home-grows; parental rights; second amendment equality; and, more (see platform).
Given the significance of HEMPFEST®, Schmidt, of Clear Choice Cannabis, is pleased to be sponsoring the event: “On behalf of the Clear Choice Cannabis community in Tacoma, we’re honored to be a sponsor at one of the longest running and most successful pro-cannabis advocacy events in history, Seattle HEMPFEST®.” Schmidt continued, “We support the organizers’ mission, and expect the crowd at Seattle Hempfest to have a great time celebrating our freedom.”
On the political message of the event, Vivian McPeak, HEMPFEST® executive director states: “It is time for the DEA or Congress to deschedule cannabis entirely, just like alcohol and tobacco, both of which are known killers. Treat cannabis like other botanical medicines by allowing the scientific community to examine the cannabis plant in every way possible”, says McPeak. “It is time to let the truth free. We need cannabis science, now.”
Many believe that once the government tears down persistent legal barriers that continue to get in the way of serious scientific study of cannabis, science will encourage innovation that will inevitably lead to discoveries which would without any doubt provide novel ways to better treat — or even cure — a great many conditions.
Event Details:
Located at Myrtle Edwards & Centennial Parks, in Seattle, HEMPFEST®Protestival, will feature six stages of music represent a wide variety rich variety of local and ethnic foods, acts, 400 arts and crafts exhibits, and cannabis advocates who will provide information on a broad variety of persistent legal and legislative issues affecting the community.
Dates & Times:
HEMPFEST® Protestival runs August 19-21 from 12:oo pm to 8:00 pm.
Chief Greenbud performs Saturday August 20th at 1:00 pm at the Main Stage.
Sir Mix-a-Lot plans to confirm times to appear at the ‘meet and greet’ as we get closer to the event. Please follow Clear Choice Cannabis on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, for live scheduling updates.
Address:
955 Alaskan Way W Seattle. Wa 98119
The “protestival” spans nearly 1.5 miles and three waterfront parks including Olympic Sculpture, Myrtle Edwards and Centennial parks.
Donations:
The event is billed “free admission,” but has faced financial challenges in recent years. Consider a suggested donation of $10 to help defray costs. View more details at the HEMPFEST® website: http://www.hempfest.org. And, keep the festival going for years to come by supporting the “Keep Seattle HEMPFEST Alive!” GoFundMe campaign.