Vendors Shutdown at Tacoma Hempfest.

The Tacoma Washington Hempfest, in only its second year of existence, was dealt an unneeded and unacceptable attack today.

Amidst a sea of cannabis consumers, activists and everyday individuals, the Tacoma Police Department (or whoever made the orders) decided today to take the route of a group of bullies in dealing with this otherwise peaceful event. The police shut down vendors, handed out tickets, harassed employees and made a disgrace out of every tax payer in the city and state. These tax payers are typically handed the financial burden of paying our officers to shamefully waste time on such inconsequential things as stopping an individual from selling a piece of glass – What many would consider art.  Last year during Tacoma Hempfest’s introductory year, cops were peppered throughout the festival and not a single ticket was given to a vendor, and not one was shutdown – despite hundred of pipes and bongs being sold. This year, vendors were forced closed for selling the same items. Could the change in civility have anything to do with the progress being made to reform cannabis laws? Don’t doubt it.

The political hypocrisy is even more apparent than the political injustice. As an average Joe, I can find a number of locations to purchase one of many methods to consume my cannabis in Tacoma. What was sold as this year’s Tacoma Hempfest was no more bold than that sold in an average smoke shop. What is bold, is what Tacoma Hempfest stands for, and what its founder Justin Prince (sponsor of Tacoma Initiative 1 to make cannabis use the lowest law enforcement priority) has been doing to move cannabis reform along in Tacoma. Neither of which the Tacoma PD is all too please about.

For those unaware of Justin’s past with the Tacoma PD, they raided his medical marijuana dispensary the Tacoma Hemp Company back in 2010 (the first medical marijuana dispensary open in Tacoma, and the first to be shutdown), shutting them down due to a faked medical recommendation presented from an undercover cop. Many in the Tacoma PD and many of the city’s politicians don’t like what Justin’s been doing to bring change, and they don’t like that the state’s steadily moving towards legalizing cannabis outright, and reducing the penalties associated with it.

 

Tacoma Hempfest was founded in 2010 as a branch-off of the political and free speech rally Seattle Hempfest, and found a great amount of success in a new city, bringing an uplifting message of reform to the community. Since then cannabis reform has remained a heated issue, with a backlash on medical marijuana federally and through Tacoma’s PD (and politicians) which have conducted raids on dispensaries and have forced medical outlets to shutdown. This is despite such a strong showing of public support that the city council overturned their prior decision last year to force dispensaries in the city to shutdown, until after the laws were clarified. This was after a rally in support of medical marijuana filled the crevasses of city hall. Unfortunately the laws were not properly or adequately clarified, which has lead to them switching back to their stance of shutting them down.

Despite this and their unjust attacks, Tacoma PD has had to continually face, through rallies and public outcry, the fact that reform is quite imminent. If Tacoma’s Initiative 1 makes this November’s ballot and passes it could force the police department to face the issue as it really is: something that the people want and need changed – and rightfully so. The reform could be even more substantial if Initiative 1149 to legalize cannabis (which Justin Prince is also a coordinator for) finds its way onto this November’s ballot and passes, another possibility the police department has had to face. With public perception changing rapidly and with future legalization attempts on the way despite what happens this year, the Tacoma PD and other squads like it will begin to have no choice but to face the facts that they’re continuing to perpetuate an undeniably ridiculous policy.

Until then, we must openly denounce and make aware those law enforcement individuals and groups, as well as politicians, who continue to bully and take advantage of non-violent citizens.

 

 

TheJointBlog