cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Activist Earns Permit for Festival 





Marijuana Activist Earns Permit for Festival 
Posted by FoM on June 30, 2000 at 18:00:08 PT
From The Associated Press 
Source: The Oregonian
Linn County officials praise Bill Conde's efforts to avoid legal problems with World Hemp Festival 2000.Marijuana activist Bill Conde says he's taking a new approach, working with Linn County officials to get a permit to hold the World Hemp Festival 2000 next month on his property. 
Conde has been at odds with Linn County officials in recent years over drug-related activities during the concerts and festivals he stages at his redwood lumberyard north of Coburg. Various criminal charges against him, related to drug use on his property during gatherings in 1998 and 1999, remain unresolved. But Conde struck an apparent truce Wednesday when Linn County commissioners unanimously approved a mass gathering permit for the July 14-16 festival. Conde has not sought such a permit in the past, but this year he submitted an 82-page application that won praise from county officials. "We're not going to see any charges coming down on me for this event," Conde said. "I'm protecting myself in every way possible." The most notable element in his proposal was a pledge to hire a private security firm to help address the issue of illegal drug use. County sheriff's officers have reported rampant drug use and open drug sales during previous events, charges Conde has denied. "I've never condoned anyone selling drugs on my property, but I will not deny it has happened," he said Wednesday. "But you go to any football game or any other activity where there are that many people and if that's what you're focusing on, you can find it." This year, security staff will patrol the grounds watching for drug trafficking or open drug use and will escort violators off the grounds, Conde said. "We're not going to strip search people, but we will look in people's backpacks and we will look in their coolers," he said. "We don't want any quantities of drugs or alcohol in here. "This time, it will be all professional security, and they'll have their orders. We're just asking people to please cooperate for this one weekend." Assistant Linn County counsel Gene Karandy said his impression was that even Sheriff Dave Burright, the biggest critic of past events on Conde's land, had signed off on the plan. Conde is selling his redwood inventory and has put his lumberyard on the market, hoping to move with his wife and two children to Belize, Central America, where he has a home. He said the well-publicized legal hassles over previous gatherings on his property have reduced his business by as much as 40 percent. However, he said, he won't leave the United States until legal problems stemming from previous festivals on his property can be resolved. The most serious matters are a pair of felony charges of aiding and abetting drug transactions. Eugene, OregonPublished: Friday, June 30, 2000Copyright 2000 Oregon Live. Related Articles:Pot Activist Angry at County for Interferencehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread2912.shtmlSheriff Outraged Over World Hemp Festivalhttp://mapinc.org/drugnews/v99.n748.a05.htmlPot Activist Will Sue Over Law Enforcement Tacticshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread2796.shtml Marijuana Activist Says 'No' to Police Soliciting http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread2731.shtml 
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