Washington Marijuana Expo Faces Difficulty

Recently, California made the medical marijuana community proud by holding a Pot Expo, despite pressures from the federal government. The expo was considered a large success, partly due to the harsh atmosphere at the time.

Washington residents in Yakima Valley recently tried to hold a marijuana expo of their own, but were very disappointed by the results, which differed greatly from those in California. Despite event organizers’ attempts to do everything by the book, the state still found a way to prevent them from exercising their rights.

Excited participants arrived at the expo this Saturday in the hopes of celebrating a substance that has benefitted them greatly, for various reasons. They were, however, disappointed to find that a sheriff's deputy had arrived with bad news, that the event was not properly approved.

Organizers were under the impression that they had done everything by the book but were surprised by a last minute regulation. The law dictates that event locations be inspected by a fire marshal before approval. No one had informed organizers of this requirement until the day of the event.

Medical marijuana vendors and excited visitors alike were turned away due to the cancellation of the event, but unbeknownst to them this may have been a good thing. The local sheriff was aware of the event and had planned to let the local branch of the DEA know about the goings-on.

Whether or not this would have led to anything, however, is unclear. Many believe that the DEA would be wasting time to focus on something like a medical marijuana expo, especially in a state where such things have been made legal by popular vote. If anything positive can be said about these happenings, it is this: at least local officials will not be able to rely on such a ridiculous loop hole the next time they want to stand in the way of the first amendment.