SEATTLE — Washington's cannabis can't cross state lines, but people can-- and did-- to get it. According to the organizers of the 23rd annual Seattle Hempfest about 30 percent of the people who walk through the gates of Hempfest in Sculpture Park are out-of-staters.
"We actually have people come internationally as well; that's only about percent of people,” says general manager Sharon Whitson.
Then there are the vendors and the speakers-- in both cases Whitson says half aren't Washingtonians. They're part of a growing trend-- they're cannabis tourists. That means pot is the sole reason they're in Seattle.
"Specifically for this,” Demi Olson told us when we asked her why she and her boyfriend Alex Larue were in town from Idaho. “Third year in a row coming,” Larue added. “We enjoy it, it's fun; it's a great getaway for the weekend."
They tell us they feel welcome here; there's a strong police presence in the park but little crackdown on open marijuana use even though technically it's illegal in public places.
"The cops? They haven't harassed me,” JR Alvarez, who came to Hempfest from Utah, says.
Whitson says now it's time to look beyond Hempfest.
"I know that Pete Holmes, the [Seattle] city attorney, is actually working on legislation to allow vaporization in hotels so that hotels can attract tourists and provide them with a legal way to use cannabis,” she concludes.
KIRO
