HUMBOLDT HEMP FEST

Weekend of Comedy, Music, and Cannabis Discussion

The Mateel Community Center will host a weekend of comedy, music, and
community dialogue for the 20th annual Humboldt Hemp Festival this
Friday in Redway.

The festival begins with a performance of "The Marijuana-Logues," a
satirical comedy about facts and myths related to marijuana use.
Friday's show is the only Hemp Fest event that charges admission: $20
at the door. Ngaio Bealum, editor and publisher of the monthly
magazine "West Coast Cannabis," will perform his stand-up comedy
routine after the show.

Hemp Fest Day begins with an opening prayer, followed by performances
from The 420 Funk Mob (featuring members of Parliament Funkadelic),
Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real, Tribalvoice featuring John Trudell
and the Mashakai/ Round Valley Dancers. The Mateel Community Center
suggests a $20 donation for admission to Saturday's events.

Sunday features a panel of policy makers and cannabis experts for a
discussion of current marijuana legislation. Panel members include
Humboldt County Supervisor Mark Lovelace, Chris Van Hook, Robert
Sutherland, Humboldt Co-op Representative Tony Turner, Max Del Real of
the Humboldt Growers Association, Julia Carrera, and Elvy Musikka, who
is one of seven recipients of federal medical marijuana. The panel
discussion will begin at 2:30 p.m., followed by an open forum Q-and-A
where Humboldt community members can ask questions about medical
marijuana and hemp legislation.

This is the first year the Mateel Center will produce and host Hemp
Fest. The traditionally one-day event expanded to a weekend to allow
for Sunday's panel discussion, after Proposition 19 failed to pass.

Organizers dedicated this year's Hemp Fest to Jack Herer and the other
founding members of the event. Jack Herer was a cannabis activist who
wrote the book "The Emperor Wears No Clothes." [see our story "R.I.P.
Emperor of Hemp" online from April 21, 2010]

Justin Mateel, owner of the Mateel Community Center, said, "It's
obviously an important issue to our community, here in Humboldt."

Pressure to pass Proposition 19 constrained the discussion on cannabis
legislation to regulations concerning cannabis consumption and the
medical uses of marijuana. Proposition 19 supporters often overlook
the versatility of hemp as a renewable resource in the debate on
cannabis policy. Proponents of legalization tried to persuade the
public of the harmlessness of marijuana chemicals instead of the
numerous benefits and the cheap sustainability of hemp fiber.

Hemp is a less potent close cousin to cannabis sativa. The amount of
THC (the active chemical in marijuana) found in hemp accounts for less
than one percent of its structure, making it 20 times weaker than
marijuana. The trace amount of THC in hemp makes it a controlled
substance, which makes it illegal to grow in the U.S. The hemp plant
is much taller than its sativa counterpart, capable of reaching 10
feet in height. The long stalk of the hemp plant is rich in bast
fibers, which makes the plant a versatile industrial product.

In 2000, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a report entitled,
"Industrial Hemp in the United States: Status and Market Potential." The
report detailed the uses of industrial hemp bast fibers for an alternative
resource for paper products, specialty textiles, and composites like
petroleum-based plastics. Other reports say hemp can yield 10 times as much
methanol (bio-fuel) as corn, requires less fertilizer, and causes less
damage to the soil.

The Humboldt Medical Advisory Panel (HumMAP) drafted a proposal on
marijuana policy before the Nov. 2 elections, which did not include
legislation on industrial hemp. Haylee Corliss, legislative lobbyist
of HumMAP, said that HumMAP "hadn't considered hemp yet, but it's due
[to]."

Corliss said it is difficult to generate discussion about cannabis
with the stigma surrounding the issue. She said, "[Politicians] were
leery about saying "'marijuana' at full volume in a committee meeting."

The failure to pass Proposition 19 restarted the policy planning
process for marijuana activists. Corliss said that HumMAP will
reevaluate its priorities and seeks public input on cannabis policy.

Hemp Fest is open to the public. Humboldt locals are welcome to enjoy
a community festival and dialogue that will address issues surrounding
the medicinal use and industrial potential of cannabis.