STUDENTS QUESTION HEMPFEST MESSAGE

More than 60 vendors were showcased at the U's third annual Hempfest.
Vendors were selling a variety of hemp products such as clothing, hand
bags, jewelry and an assortment of food.

Students for Sensible Drug Policy, a group that petitions for more
lenient drug laws, put on the festival. However, students attending
didn't seem to understand the group's objective. Pamphlets that were
passed out stated the purpose of SSDP, but students walking by the
festival were unclear of the purpose of Hempfest.

"What I picked up on was 'let's do drugs,'?" said Meagan Hydok, a
freshman in pre-medicine. "I was shocked that they would allow this
stuff in Utah." However, Hydok said she enjoyed the element of freedom
of expression at Hempfest.

Valerie Douroux, the current president for SSDP and the director of
this year's Hempfest said "engaging dialouge" is key to motivating
students to overcome the taboo topic of drugs.

"Silence is implied consent," is the current logo on the SSDP T-shirt,
which refers to the way police can search for drugs unless explicitly
told not to.

"If you're not doing anything about what you feel is important than
you're consenting to it," Douroux said.

It's a "personal choice what we put into our body," said Caylee
Gabbott, a senior in psychology who was in charge of the music for
Hempfest.

"All I have to say is drugs aren't the only way to get happy," said
Dope Thought, a musician who made an appearance at the festival.

SSDP states that "drug abuse is a very real problem," according to
pamphlets distributed at the festival, despite the fact that drug
paraphanelia was prevalent.

Chey Jacobs, a freshman in exercise and sport science enjoyed the
event, and "liked how different stuff was," describing the selection
of brightly colored clothing and jewelry.