POLICE 'INTIMIDATE' HEMPFEST ATTENDEES

Organizer Says Increased Presence a Deliberate Crackdown, No Comment From OPP

Organizers and attendees at an annual cannabis festival east of Sault
Ste. Marie say police used a RIDE check as a cover while officers
staged a deliberate crackdown on marijuana users last weekend.

Derek Telasco said he was shocked to see a mobile command unit set up
and as many as 20 police officers manning what he described as a
military-style roadblock a short distance from the Hempfest grounds.
"I felt like I was in Soviet-controlled Poland or something," said
Telasco, 37, a Windsor-area marijuana activist who attended the
festival, north of Bruce Mines.

Ontario Provincial Police laid 32 drug charges and four weapons
charges, along with a string of Highway Traffic Act charges, during
what was described in a press release as an "extremely successful
three-day RIDE initiative," in Havilah, a small hamlet close to the
Hempfest site.

But Rob Waddell, the festival's organizer, said he thinks police used
the impaired driving checks as a ploy to do drug searches, taking the
unusual step of questioning passengers, and doing rigorous
documentation checks and safety checks.

"That's a lot more than a RIDE program," he said.

While police reported doing five roadside tests as a result of the
RIDE check, "there wasn't one impaired charge, there wasn't one
12-hour suspension," said Waddell.

"It was a definite, deliberate crackdown to dissuade people from
going to the festival, to intimidate people that were at the
festival," he said.

"I've got letters from about five lawyers today," said Waddell, who
sells seeds and other cannabis related products at his Queen Street
store, Planetary Pride. "It's going to get interesting, I think."

Officers designated as media contacts for the Hempfest operation,
Const. Marilyn Cameron and Sgt. Brian Knowler, have not responded to
requests for comment on the charges.

On Friday, Cameron told The Sault Star increased police presence was
prompted by a sergeant at the East Algoma detachment who was keen to
address Hempfest. A release issued after the event said the RIDE
program was set up due to the "heavy influx of traffic."

Waddell said police had a similar presence in the first year of the
festival, but have since decreased their presence. Two years ago no
police attended the festival, and last year only two cars showed up.
He blames this year's police action on pressure from the Conservative
federal government, and OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino.

Adam Hayward, a Planetary Pride employee who was in charge of the
stage acts at Hempfest, arrived before police set up their operation.

He said people at the festival told him police appeared to be
actively trying to dissuade drivers from attending.

"At one point in time someone came in and told us the police were
telling everyone that all the bands were cancelled for Saturday
night," said Hayward, 27. He said no bands had cancelled that night.
Telasco, who said he uses marijuana for medical purposes, but is
unregistered, has attended the last seven Hempfests. He showed up
before the roadblock was set up and wasn't stopped by police. He has
a voice recorder in his vehicle in case he is stopped.

He has no problem with police checking for drunk drivers, but he said
OPP appeared to be "preying on a lot of the younger guys that didn't
know their rights."

One man told police he had five grams of marijuana on him after
officers indicated they were only looking for large amounts. Telasco said.

"They gave him a fine and took his pot."

Waddell said in one instance, a festival-goer was found to have been
driving with expired license plate tags on his mother's jeep.

"The police said that gave them reason to do a search of the vehicle
and its occupants," said Waddell. "I believe any lawyer will have
that thrown out on an illegal search."