SEATTLE'S HEMPFEST DRAWS CROWDS

SEATTLE - Hemp products - in everything from granola to cat food to clothes
- - were on display. Drug paraphernalia booths were set up between stands of
tie-dyed clothes and silver jewelry.

The distinctive odor of pot wafted through the air as tens of thousands
strolled through Myrtle Edwards Park on the waterfront for Seattle's 10th
annual Hempfest.

The two-day Hempfest aims to educate the public that adults who use
marijuana responsibly do not need to go to jail, said Dominic Holden,
director of Hempfest.

"Most marijuana smokers, like the rest of America, work hard, pay taxes,
raise families, and don't deserve to be treated like criminals," said the
24-year-old Seattle resident.

Holden called for treatment and job training as an alternative to jailing
nonviolent offenders convicted of marijuana possession.

Holden estimated that more than 90,000 people had attended the celebration
by Sunday morning. Police monitored the crowd with officers on horseback
and bicycles but declined to estimate the crowd size.