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Caregiver Lenny Brown brought medical marijuana to show potential patients at the Bozeman Hempfest at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds Saturday, but he was asked to remove it from the premises.
"I wouldn't have come here if I knew I couldn't display my medicine," Brown said. "All I heard was that they were going to shut us down - that we needed to put it away."
While there were plenty of pipes, hemp T-shirts and medical-marijuana providers to pick from at Hempfest, there was no cannabis allowed.
Four Gallatin County sheriff's deputies patrolled the event.
Sheriff Jim Cashell said a contract between attorneys for the county and organizers of the event stipulated that no marijuana be allowed. Gallatin County attorneys could not be immediately reached Saturday for comment.
Cashell said he believed the requirement was set, "because you can only sell to people registered to your care."
"If you're displaying it for Joe Blow and he's sitting there looking at it, that's not necessarily the guy you're supposed to be taking care of," he said. "For them to display that would probably be a violation of federal law and Bozeman ordinances."
Hempfest organizer Michael Smith said he didn't know about the requirement until Saturday. He said had told vendors that they'd be allowed to bring marijuana in sealed containers for informational purposes only.
"There was no commercial activity being done by the vendors - i.e. dispensing, selling," said Smith, who also is a caregiver and executive director of The Healing Center in Bozeman. "They were handing out cards, things like that."
Some vendors left when they learned of the ban, Smith said.
"I feel like I should be able to show my medicine to prospective patients," said Brown, of Cannabis Connection Caregivers in Bozeman. "It's not illegal for me to have.
"All of the medicine is different. If you have a superior medicine, which I think I have, you ought to be able to show that," he said.
About 50 vendors stayed. People attending Hempfest, which ran from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., milled between booths housed in two buildings at the fairgrounds, food stands and a Sublime tribute band, LBC, playing outside.
At one booth, one of the event's featured speakers, Ed Rosenthal, signed copies of his newest book, "Ed Rosenthal's Marijuana Grower's Handbook."
Rosenthal, of Oakland, Calif., wrote for High Times and is known for his advocacy for the legalization of marijuana. He teaches cannabis cultivation at Oaksterdam University in Oakland and does consulting work in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe.
Rosenthal said he planned to speak on Saturday evening about "freedom."
"(Cannabis) should be of as little concern to the state as growing tomatoes - in terms of who can grow it and its entrance in and out of the market," he said. "I'm not saying there shouldn't be rules about not selling to children or other certain rules, but basically people should be able to grow it themselves. They should be able to buy it in stores."
NewsHawk: MedicalNeed:420 MAGAZINE
Source: The Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Serving Southwest Montana Since 1911
Author: Amanda Ricker, Chronicle Staff Writer
Contact: The Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Contact
Copyright: 2010, The Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Bozeman, MT
Website: No marijuana allowed at hempfest - The Bozeman Daily Chronicle: News
"I wouldn't have come here if I knew I couldn't display my medicine," Brown said. "All I heard was that they were going to shut us down - that we needed to put it away."
While there were plenty of pipes, hemp T-shirts and medical-marijuana providers to pick from at Hempfest, there was no cannabis allowed.
Four Gallatin County sheriff's deputies patrolled the event.
Sheriff Jim Cashell said a contract between attorneys for the county and organizers of the event stipulated that no marijuana be allowed. Gallatin County attorneys could not be immediately reached Saturday for comment.
Cashell said he believed the requirement was set, "because you can only sell to people registered to your care."
"If you're displaying it for Joe Blow and he's sitting there looking at it, that's not necessarily the guy you're supposed to be taking care of," he said. "For them to display that would probably be a violation of federal law and Bozeman ordinances."
Hempfest organizer Michael Smith said he didn't know about the requirement until Saturday. He said had told vendors that they'd be allowed to bring marijuana in sealed containers for informational purposes only.
"There was no commercial activity being done by the vendors - i.e. dispensing, selling," said Smith, who also is a caregiver and executive director of The Healing Center in Bozeman. "They were handing out cards, things like that."
Some vendors left when they learned of the ban, Smith said.
"I feel like I should be able to show my medicine to prospective patients," said Brown, of Cannabis Connection Caregivers in Bozeman. "It's not illegal for me to have.
"All of the medicine is different. If you have a superior medicine, which I think I have, you ought to be able to show that," he said.
About 50 vendors stayed. People attending Hempfest, which ran from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., milled between booths housed in two buildings at the fairgrounds, food stands and a Sublime tribute band, LBC, playing outside.
At one booth, one of the event's featured speakers, Ed Rosenthal, signed copies of his newest book, "Ed Rosenthal's Marijuana Grower's Handbook."
Rosenthal, of Oakland, Calif., wrote for High Times and is known for his advocacy for the legalization of marijuana. He teaches cannabis cultivation at Oaksterdam University in Oakland and does consulting work in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe.
Rosenthal said he planned to speak on Saturday evening about "freedom."
"(Cannabis) should be of as little concern to the state as growing tomatoes - in terms of who can grow it and its entrance in and out of the market," he said. "I'm not saying there shouldn't be rules about not selling to children or other certain rules, but basically people should be able to grow it themselves. They should be able to buy it in stores."
NewsHawk: MedicalNeed:420 MAGAZINE
Source: The Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Serving Southwest Montana Since 1911
Author: Amanda Ricker, Chronicle Staff Writer
Contact: The Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Contact
Copyright: 2010, The Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Bozeman, MT
Website: No marijuana allowed at hempfest - The Bozeman Daily Chronicle: News
