Oregon Cannabis Festival/Global Cannabis March

19th Annual Global Cannabis March / Oregon Cannabis Festival (Saturday, May 5, 2018 - 12pm-5pm - Pioneer Courthouse Square, Portland) On Saturday, May 5, 2018, nearly 300 cities worldwide, including Portland, Oregon, will participate in the annual Global Cannabis March. Portland participants will gather in Pioneer Courthouse Square for a rally that begins at 12:00pm, with a scheduled cannabis freedom march through downtown in the afternoon. The day long event will showcase the Dr. Phillip Leveque Memorial Stage, bands, speakers and vendor booths. This public event has always been free to attend. Portland’s annual Global Cannabis March / Oregon Cannabis Festival advocates for decriminalization of cannabis for medicinal, industrial, and social use in Oregon and across the United States. Founded in 1999 by Oregon’s chapter of National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws, the Global Cannabis March takes place the first Saturday of May, with cities around the world participating. We march to stand in solidarity for cannabis consumer rights. While marijuana may be legal under state law, it is still illegal under federal law. We march to effect change on the federal level. We march for the right of employees to use marijuana in their off hours, just as employees can consume alcohol in their off hours. We march so renters can consume marijuana in their own homes without fear of eviction. The passage of Measure 91 marked a monumental shift in Oregon’s treatment of marijuana. Public discourse about the production, sale, and consumption of marijuana, for both medical and recreational purposes, continues to be a critical component of the development of policy and regulations at the state and local level. Public events, especially ones hosted in public spaces such as the parks in downtown Portland, are important venues for this ongoing dialogue. Mayor Wheeler has stated that there are a number of ways that he plans to lead on cannabis policy and advocacy as the Mayor of Portland. “We know that Portland has already successfully hosted several public consumption events here. There will be growing pains, but there is no reason Portland cannot be a leader when it comes to cannabis-related festivals and events,” Mayor Wheeler said. Mayor Wheeler also believes that we must continue protecting the rights of patients as was intended when Measure 91 was passed and that patients and people enjoying cannabis recreationally must have access to a safe place to consume indoors. He supports exploring regulation of public consumption venues locally. “Cannabis cafés, for example, potentially represent a safe place to consume. If the goal is safe public consumption, we have work to do in Portland,” Mayor Wheeler said at the event in 2016. When we voted to regulate cannabis, it was because we wanted to let the thousands of users in Oregon come out of the closet and to be seen as the productive contributors to society that we are. After regulation, when seeking special permitting for public event cannabis consumption, we find ourselves pushed back into those same old closets by fear-motivated regulators who still see us as criminals getting away with something. Alcohol drinkers can drink in public at bars, restaurants, and specially permitted park events, specifically the Holiday Ale Fest, an alcohol consumption event held in Pioneer Square for the past 15 years. Cannabis consumers should be allowed the same opportunity. Please support special permitting for social cannabis clubs and special permitting for events for public cannabis consumption. *** Who: Nearly three hundred cities worldwide, including Portland, Oregon, will participate in the annual Global Cannabis March. What: 19th Annual Global Cannabis March/Oregon Cannabis Festival When: Saturday, May 5, 2018 - 12:00pm-5pm Where: Pioneer Courthouse Square - 701 SW 6th Avenue, Portland, OR 97204 Why: To bring an end the failed war on cannabis!