For years people have had no choice but to hide their love for cannabis for fear of arrest, but in the last five years we’ve seen that change drastically. Four states and even Washington D.C. have legalized marijuana and more and more states are headed down the same path each and every day.
The one place that is probably the most surprising for many to see marijuana legalization was D.C. After all, that is our nation’s capital – and if people can freely light up there, it should be allowed anywhere in the country.
Last year, a group of people in the D.C. area came up with the idea for the National Cannabis Festival. They wanted a way to celebrate the advocates who have helped make legalization happen, those folks who have worked tirelessly for decades to get us where we are today.
Now, a year later, they have announced the first National Cannabis Festival – which they plan to turn into an annual event in Washington D.C. The festival will be a place for business owners, advocates and enthusiasts from around the country to come together and celebrate the progress we’ve made so far in marijuana policy reform.
“I am so excited that D.C. will be hosting the inaugural National Cannabis Festival,” D.C. At-large Councilmember David Grosso said in a release. “We have certainly come a long way just in the last 3 years with the help of policy advocates, business owners, and enthusiasts.”
The festival will be held on April 23rd – the Saturday following the unofficial April 20th holiday. The festival will include multiple musical acts – with the feature presentation being De La Soul. There will also be food and drinks as well as vendors that are a part of the cannabis industry from around the country.
“National Cannabis Festival is an important event for our city and the nation,” said Anwan Glover of Backyard Band. “Cannabis policies impact everything from equal justice to the economy. It’s time we recognized this community and industry with a big celebration in DC.”
In essence, this festival is one more way to bring attention to cannabis in the mainstream world. In the video on the National Cannabis Festival website they mention that there are beer and wine festivals all the time, and for once the cannabis community is getting a chance to have a similar event, geared towards reminding people that “pot heads” are people too – and legalization is the right way to go.
Greetings. We are looking to connect with activist artists, poets etc., with cannabis related or themed songs, poems, Slam etc. I am working with a new TV show, Marijuana Straight Talk on Free Speech TV Network (DirecTV/Dish Network) – functioning as Artistic Say Editor; Artistic Say is a feature of the show that showcases activist artists with something to say about Cannabis in their art, via video.
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Richard Highah Seekah Harvey Artistic Say Editor, Marijuana Straight Talk TV show