HEMPFEST MARCHES ONWARD

The stereotypes could not do it. Neither could the scoffs or the
"dirty hippy" jibes. No, not even a trip to the U.S. Supreme Court
could stop one unofficial Ohio State tradition from happening.

The Ohio Hempfest, which will stake its claim on the South Oval for
the 21st year in a row on June 2, has faced its share of adversity.
But each year the festival carries on. After all, it is the first
amendment, man.

Students for Sensible Drug Policy at OSU, an advocacy group that
pushes for the reduction of drug penalties, took over the festival
almost 10 years ago. Since then the attendance has risen from a few
hundred in 1999 to 3,000 in 2006 and to a projected 5,000 people this
year, said sources from the organization.

One thing, however, is certain about this year's festival: The
support of OSU is on the side of SSDP.

A History of Tension

When University Police told Phil DeSenze they planned on canceling
Hempfest in the spring of 2004, the then SSDP president was not
satisfied with their reasoning.

"They told us we didn't inform them long enough in advance before the
festival, which we did," DeSenze said. "Basically, it was a bunch of baloney."

Instead of complying with the demands of the school and University
Police, DeSenze and the organization hired a lawyer. Their case
addressed an issue of free speech, which immediately made it a federal lawsuit.

"So, we ended up in Washington and we won," said the senior in
political science.

The Supreme Court decision came just hours before the event was
scheduled to begin, which both hurt and helped the festival.

"It hurt because we lost some vendors and sponsors, but it helped
because we got a lot of publicity," DeSenze said.

The ruling was just one of many factors that led to compliance
between the organization and the university. Another was the
resignation of former chief of University Police John Petry, who
helped orchestrate the university's decision to cancel the 2004
festival. With the new change in administration, SSDP sought to
bridge gaps created by a lack of communication, DeSenze said.

At a recent Undergraduate Student Government meeting, SSDP secured a
$1,000 public security grant to help fund a police presence and an
ambulance for this year's event - a decision that faced criticism
from several USG senators.

"This sets a dangerous precedent," said Patrick Sprinkle, an
undergraduate student senator. "We shouldn't be funding dangerous
causes. The senate would be making a mistake to (fund) this."

Fellow undergraduate student senator Mary Estock agreed with Sprinkle.

"The police chief certainly isn't going to come to something called
Hempfest," she said. "The name alone implies that it's in support of drug use."

University Police, however, said that simply is not the case.
Assistant Chief of Police Rick Amweg said all student organizations
are treated the same when it comes to security issues.

After the vote passed 5-3 in favor of SSDP, undergraduate student
senator Stephen Smith had one last thing to say: "I'm just curious if
anyone knows when the tobacco and LSD Fest bills will be coming to the senate."

A New Leadership

Before he graduated high school, given any thought to college or
taken his ACT or SAT tests, Zack Germaniuk knew he wanted to be an
activist. The junior in English attempted to start a SSDP chapter at
his high school, John F. Kennedy in Warren, Ohio, but was stymied by
the school's administration.

"It was a private, Catholic high school, so that didn't go over so
well," he said.

As a national organization, SSDP maintains several outreach programs
to high schools around the country, Germaniuk said. After graduating
and spending a summer at Harvard University studying politics and
policy, he came to OSU where he became involved with DeSenze and the
Columbus chapter of the organization.

If his dreadlocks and mutton-chop sideburns offer an unkempt first
impression of the SSDP president, his passionate and metered speech
quickly shoos it away.

"As president of the organization, it has always been my intention to
educate people," he said, "Education is the foundation for action."

Germaniuk and the small, core group of SSDP members have labored for
the past eight months, trying to raise the last of the $10,000 budget
for the event. In addition to donations and sponsorships, SSDP is
hosting two benefit concerts this year to help raise additional
funds. Both concerts will be held at the High Five Bar and Grill, on
Tuesday and Saturday.

A Cause for Alarm

In 1998, the legendary Higher Education Act was amended to exclude
those convicted of drug offenses from federal funding. The
legislation, known as the Drug Provision of the HEA, has been a hot
topic for many proponents of drug law reforms. SSDP in particular is
centralized around this legislation, and has lobbied extensively over
the last decade to have the amendment changed.

"The war on drugs has been waged in the name of young people," said
Kris Krane, executive director of SSDP, based in Washington. "It's
incumbent upon the youth to say 'no longer - not in our name.'"

According to the U.S. Department of Education, 7,664 students have
been denied federal funding in Ohio because of drug convictions since
1998; however, after Congress passed legislation in 2004 that allowed
federal aid to those with previous drug convictions, the number
slowed down dramatically, Krane said. The OSU Office of Financial Aid
reported 93 students were denied aid in 2003, compared to only five this year.

Regardless, Germaniuk, who has high hopes for the turnout of this
year's Hempfest, stressed the importance of student awareness.

"The old adage says 'an armed citizenry is the best defense against
tyranny but I would add to that 'an educated is an equally good
defense,'" he said.