Hempstalk 2013 Flyer (PDF)

Portland's annual Hempstalk Festival in Portland, Oregon advocates decriminalization of marijuana for medicinal, industrial, and recreational use. Founded in 2005 by the Hemp and Cannabis Foundation, the festival takes place the weekend after Labor Day in September, and features food vendors, live music, guest speakers and information booths. This public event has always been free to attend.

According to Paul Stanford, founder and presenting sponsor of the event, "Hempstalk is about the many uses of agricultural hemp fiber, oil, protein, fuel and medicine. We are working to end adult cannabis prohibition, allow adults to grow their own and license the legal sale of psychoactive cannabis to adults. We believe that hemp will save the Earth's biosphere with the adoption of hemp seed for bio-diesel fuel, which will solve the energy and world hunger problems, and stop deforestation when hemp fiber is used for paper and building materials."

Hempstalk organizers believe the reason marijuana is illegal has very little to do with drugs, and is really about money and the continued centralization of economic and political control. Hemp seed oil is biodiesel, is three times more productive than any other seed oil crop, and will run any diesel engine today with no modification. Hemp oil is the reason the petrochemical industry made up the "reefer madness" myth. They renamed hemp, using racist propaganda, calling it marijuana, and lied to make it illegal. There is a truth that must be heard! This is what the Hempstalk Festival is all about.