Festival to promote hemp DUChronicle / Brandon Brown / 09,21,2010 Group aims to dispel misconceptions about substance Sustainability is a prevalent topic of discussion at the U, and the Students for Sensible Drug Policy are promoting another method of sustainability-hemp. The third annual Hempfest begins Sept. 29 on the Union Patio. "Hempfest is dedicated to promoting the sustainability and versatility of hemp and marijuana," said Valerie Douroux, director of SSDP at the U and a film and media arts major. Douroux wants students at the U to know the difference between hemp and marijuana and how they could be used to better the community and world, she said. "Hemp has a bad reputation," said Caylee Gabbott, a senior in psychology and the music coordinator for Hempfest. Hemp can be used to make fuel, fibers, rope, clothing, food, and even insulation for houses. Murphy is in charge of coordinating all the vendors and tables at the festival. There will be a good mixture of vendors selling hemp products and informational tables on the uses of hemp. One of the vendors Murphy is most excited about is a chocolate company that makes their chocolate with hemp seeds. Hempfest will also have two stages playing music. One stage will have a variety of different local musicians and the other will feature different DJs. Every musical genre, except country, will be represented, Douroux said. There will also be a hemp fashion show, featuring clothing made completely out of hemp, held on the stage. Multiple speakers, including Utah governor candidate Andrew McCullough and local attorney Rob Latham are set to attend the event to discuss possible effects of hemp of the community and country as a whole. Students for Sensible Drug Policy is an international organization that aims to replace current drug policy and drug wars with harm reduction and science-based laws. "(The current drug laws) are outdated and need to be changed," Douroux said. SSDP is also involved in promoting the Good Samaritan policy at the U, an initiative that would help prevent or lessen charges from being pressed on people who call for emergency help for overdose victims. "We want people to be able to call for help without the fear of being prosecuted," she said. Hempfest will be held Sept. 29, from noon to 5 p.m. on the Union Patio and Plaza.
a big industry coming up soon will be growing hemp no doubt about that it's something i want to start looking into and if you get in fast and have a bit of good luck you could be very, very rich and to think alot of the science in growing it has already been done illegally.