The Hempfest Journal is a trophy of the cannabis community in Columbus. Through the work of volunteers who organize local business owners to buy advertisements in these pages, the Journal’s printing costs are paid for with money leftover to make Hempfest bigger and better. The result is this handy book about the greenest subject in the world, Cannabis, and the biggest cannabis festival in Ohio, Hempfest. During my volunteer hours visiting shop owners innumerable times, I found that most of the local business owners, students, and community members that I talked to about the festival have only good stories to tell of past fests. The Ohio State University is also happy to deal with Hempfest. Even when Students for Sensible Drug Policy was under code of conduct review by the OSU administration, there was never any question that the Hempfest festival date was secure because there have never been any problems dealing with the Hempfest. Truly the Ohio Hempfest is a respected tradition in Columbus.

Hempfest is also a long running annual event. The word on the street is that an annual cannabis celebration has been occurring in Columbus for over 30 years, with the last 17 years nearly consecutive. But not enough of the stories from these early festivals are circulating. In fact it seems as if most records of these parties have been lost. I call on the reader’s of the Hempfest Journal to respond with some cherished memories or details of distant spring smoke outs. Send them to truth@freepress.org. And check the July & August Free Press for any printed responses.

This June, Hempfest is really going to be bigger and better than any other year. We’ve added a third stage featuring electronic music and a hookah lounge. For the first time there will be a large Kids Jam area for all of the families with children that visit the festival. Of course we’ll still have the Main stage and Browning Amphitheater rocking all day and all night with the best bands Columbus has to offer. Plus Hempfest is the only event in Columbus where you can hear speakers from around the nation who are influential in reforming our drug policy. But the greatness of Hempfest is created each year when thousands of people just like you come out to show their support for ending cannabis prohibition.

So come over to OSU’s South Oval on June 5th for the Big Free Hemp festival and I guarantee you will feel all the positive cannabis vibes Columbus has to offer.

Peace,
Sarah Clark
Editor, Hempfest Journal

[Now that Hempfest has occured, check out photos of the event as well as a column on legal issues involving this year's fest.