KEEP PURPOSE OF HEMP FEST IN MIND

This Saturday, the University of Rhode Island's chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy will host the latest installment of their Hemp Fest event.  Similar gatherings are becoming a tradition at many schools and regular occurrences in major cities.

In its ideal state, Hemp Fest and events like it should serve to increase awareness of the benefits of hemp and cannabis related products, including medical marijuana initiatives, the legalization of hemp and, at least, the decriminalization of marijuana drug charges.  However, sometimes this message and the intentions behind holding the event become obscured by the atmosphere and actions of individuals unconcerned with the message.

Don't just head up to the quad on Saturday to get high in the sun, if that's your thing.  Head up because you believe in your basic right to get high in the sun.  In the same breath, don't feel that because you don't use marijuana or know anything about the history of hemp that you can't show up.  If you feel strongly about drug laws one way or another, or about the enforcement of drug laws and the way your tax money is being spent, Hemp Fest may provide a forum.

Hemp Fest, besides being a concert with some great bands and a reason to spend Saturday outdoors, is also a source for a lot of different information.  Members of the SSDP program devote a lot of their time to setting up events to raise awareness about our nation's drug policy and they have a wealth of information on the subject, including numbers regarding just how much of our drug policy budget goes toward enforcement and incarceration versus treatment and rehabilitation for addicts.

Too often, proponents of drug policy reform are pigeonholed as being concerned only with being able to get high legally, and that simply is not true.  However, sometimes events like Hempfest can turn into fodder for those supporting and benefiting from the Drug War.  Students who wish to be taken seriously must avoid those pitfalls.

Don't use Hempfest simply as an excuse to party.  Use it as a reason to get involved at URI with something you believe in, to learn more about something that you're interested in or to speak out against something you disagree with.  Whatever the reason, events like Hempfest should be taken seriously, given the degree of planning and the intentions behind them.  Those who support the initiatives endorsed by SSDP should take it upon themselves to hike up the hill and get involved.