After a fine and a scare from authorities, this year’s Seattle Hempfest will proceed as planned. The massive “protestival” has graced Seattle year after year, bringing fun, festivities and whimsy to the picturesque city waterfront. The event will take place on August 18-20, 2017.
“In a skirmish that highlights the often confusing nature of legal marijuana laws, city regulators have taken an interest in some much smaller events put on by Seattle Events, the nonprofit that runs HempFest — going as far as to issue a $1,000 fine accusing it of operating a marijuana business without a license,” according to the Yakima Herald.
Luckily, the fine was dropped.
“The Department of Finance and Administrative Services dropped the citation after further review and consultation with prosecutors, spokeswoman Julie Moore said in an emailed statement. ‘We do not have sufficient evidence that the location where the conduct occurred meets the definition of ‘premises’ as currently defined in the Seattle Municipal Code,’ Moore wrote. ‘Consumption on any business premises is considered a felony under state law. As such, FAS inspectors keep abreast of any event for which consumption of marijuana is advertised as a feature of an event.’”
Every year, thousands of cannabis supporters pour onto the Seattle waterfront for a weekend of marijuana related booths, hemp education, live local music, banging loudspeakers, company swag and more. Check out images from last year’s Hempfest here.
Learn about another great Seattle event, The 420 Games, here.
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