Permission denied to hold 2015 Hempstalk Festival

Posted by Sagar Satapathy on November 11, 2014.

Even as people in Oregon voted overwhelmingly to legalize recreational marijuana in a historic vote on November 4 along with Alska and Washington, D.C, the Portland parks officials have denied permission to hold the Hempstalk Festival 2015, saying the decision was taken before the voting. The officials waited till November 4 to take their decision, which draws flak from all quarters. The free annual Hempstalk Festival event is being organized every year to garner support for marijuana and hemp legalization.

Hempstalk Festival founder Paul Stanford expected the 2015 event to be a big moral booster and celebratory for all those who tried hard to see the legalization of recreational marijuana in Oregon. However, a firm denial to allow the event to be held at Portland's Tom McCall Waterfront Park or any other public property dented his spirit and mood.

Shawn Rogers, Parks Bureau customer service center manager, categorically said that the passage of ballot measure 91 cannot influence their decision. "The organizers are unable to manage the event in accordance with the necessary conditions clearly outlined and revisited on multiple occasions", he said.

It can be recalled that during the 2014 event, a large number of people defied the law and consumed marijuana even though it remained illegal. The organizers of the event did not intervene to prevent them from doing so. That created a big controversy and forced the authorities to deny permission to hold any such events in future, it is believed.

Shawn Rogers revealed that he personally went to the Hempstalk festival to check how the organizers manage the event. And, he found things messy and chaotic. "I heard speakers at the event encouraging the participants to go outside the gate and consume marijuana. I actually felt like I was at risk of getting high," he said. Hempstalk has hired a professional event coordinator, Peter Mott to set things in order in 2015. But, seems it's too late.

comments powered by Disqus