HEMP FEST DEALS FACTS ABOUT NON-DRUG USES OF CANNABIS

This past Saturday, students milled around the first floor of
Eclectic, tasting hemp milk, signing petitions, and making hemp
bracelets--all part of NORML's Industrial Hemp Fest.

NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) is the
Wesleyan chapter of the national organization of the same name that
seeks to legalize marijuana. Through this event, NORML members hoped
to enlighten students to industrial uses of hemp and differentiate it
from marijuana.

Toni Latimer '09 and John Chisholm '09 founded the University's
branch of NORML about a year ago. Since then, they have been working
to inform the campus community of cannabis' non-psychoactive purposes
and to highlight the importance of legalizing marijuana.

"The purpose of Hemp Fest is to spread the word that marijuana is
more than a drug, to cannabis critics and enthusiasts alike," Latimer said.

Hannah Masius '10, who attended the event, outlined what she said was
the commonly held, but misguided, belief about hemp.

"People automatically associate it with weed, although it has no THC
in it and it isn't used for the same uses [as] marijuana," she said.
"[Hemp Fest] is a very informative event as to the actual uses of
hemp, instead of the assumed uses of hemp."

Many of the booths at Hemp Fest sought to illustrate the variety of
possible uses of hemp.

"Hemp is nature's greatest miracle, first for its sustainability,
then for everything that it can be used for - literally everything:
food, fibers, textiles, plastics, paint, biofuel, insulation,
drywall, car parts, soap, [and] cosmetics," Latimer said.

Another advantage of hemp is that it is much more sustainable than
cotton or tree products. According to NORML's website, hemp yields
more product per acre than cotton and requires less pesticides.

"I think it's really important, as we attempt a more sustainable way
of living, that we have the knowledge that there are other products
that are less harmful to the environment and more beneficial to
ourselves," said Lindsay Weber '09, who volunteered at the festival.

John Dvorak, who runs Hempology.org, was the keynote speaker for the
event. He spoke about how cannabis could be incorporated into
academic curriculum in a variety of subjects, including earth and
environmental sciences, economics, and anthropology.

"Write papers about it," he said. "Study it. Publish or perish."

Dvorak elaborated on the economics of hemp, discussing how it could
be beneficial for struggling farmers.

"Farmers need a new profitable crop," he said. "They're growing a lot
of corn and soy, but they need something else. They're suffering the
effects of prohibition [of hemp]."

In the United States, it is illegal for farmers to grow hemp, but it
is legal to import it from other countries. One of the purposes of
Hemp Fest was to bring this issue to the forefront of peoples' minds.

"The event is also supposed to leave those who attend asking
themselves, why exactly is this illegal?" Latimer said.

Organizers attempted to eliminate the stigma associated with hemp
products, one step in their mission to familiarize the country with
the benefits of cannabis and work toward the legalization of hemp
cultivation in the United States.

"It takes away the taboo of hemp," said volunteer Max Lavine '10 of
the festival.

NORML meets on Wednesdays at 4:20 p.m. in PAC 004.