HEMPFEST A PRETTY LAID-BACK AFFAIR

They Came, They Sat, They Toked Up. And Nobody Got Uptight About
It.

Edmonton's annual Hempfest drew about 100 unashamed marijuana
enthusiasts to the Alberta Legislature grounds yesterday with joints
in hand.

"I just heard of it and I'm like, 'Pot? Yeah, I'll come,' " said Bri
Branstow as he rolled another for a group of friends relaxing on the
lawn.

Having been to the event in years past, the longtime pot smoker was
expecting music, banners and a much bigger crowd. He got to see one
banner, a leaflet and a handful of speakers taking turns with a megaphone.

Gathering to make a political statement about marijuana is "just not
as big a deal to people" as it used to be - and that's okay, Branstow
said, adding these days he feels safe walking down the street with a
lit joint in his hand.

Most participants seemed comfortable in the belief that legalization -
or at least a relaxation of pot penalties - is on the way.

"Legalize pot!" shouted someone from the crowd.

"It is!" someone else bellowed back.

A handful of city police officers could be seen monitoring the crowd
from a distance, but no one witnessed any arrests.

"If the cops come here, I'm not going to be afraid," said Shannon
Kells, adding she's never heard of anyone getting violent, having an
overdose or bankrupting their family over marijuana.

"I find alcohol way worse than weed - it's advertised everywhere
here."

Event organizer Ken Kirk said he used to get hassled by cops while
putting up posters to advertise Hempfest - but no more.

"I think it's partly because of the changing attitudes," he told the
crowd. "We're winning this war."

Kirk has his own legal theory about why he's entitled to toke up: he
believes Queen Elizabeth's oath of office - in which she swore to
uphold the Bible - proves marijuana was never illegal because the
Bible says all seed-bearing plants are "gifts from God."

The crowd may have been "kind of small," but Hempfest was still
exciting, he said. "These events are done for the morale of people who
show up."

The Marijuana Party of Alberta used Hempfest to gather signatures for
a petition seeking official status as a provincial political party.
They need 10,000 registered voters and currently have about 3,000,
said Lyle Kenny, a member of the executive.