| Photo: Gregory Bojorquez/LA Weekly |
| Expo organizer and medical marijuana advocate Richard Eastman, left, talks with Prop 215 co-author Dennis Peron, who is scheduled to speak at the event |
Southern California medical marijuana advocates are spreading the word about cannabis this weekend with a two-day educational event in Long Beach.
The Long Beach, Los Angeles and Orange County Medical Marijuana Exposition and Patients Film Festival (try saying that after taking a bong hit) will happen Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. each day at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Greater Long Beach, 2017 East 4th Street.
The expo is “an educational event” being held “because of Long Beach being in the center of a heated debate on marijuana,” according to one of the organizers, marijuana advocate Richard Eastman, reports Paul Eakins of the Long Beach Press-Telegram.
“Our goal is to educate the citizens and voters of Long Beach about the positive benefits of medical marijuana,” Eastman said, reports Jonathan Van Dyke at Gazettes.com.
The event is also sponsored by the High Quiggle Healing Center, a Long Beach medical marijuana collective that is being forced to close because of the city’s new dispensary laws.
The Long Beach City Council this year approved controversial rules to micromanage how and where dispensaries operate. Hefty application fees were implemented, and what some marijuana advocates say was an unfair lottery process was used to weed out the collectives allowed to remain open.
The event will include live outdoor music from Nate Hancock and the Declaration Band, guest speakers including Proposition 215 co-author Dennis Peron (who, unfortunately, may well waste everyone’s time railing away against Prop 19), medical cannabis exhibitors, fire dancers and other entertainment.
No marijuana will be sold.
Four films about medical marijuana and cannabis advocacy will be shown.
The featured films will be Dennis Peron and Richard Eastman Go To Washington, Medical Cannabis: The Untold Story, How Weed Won The West and 10 Percent Solution.
Calvin Frye, producer of the cult pot film Super High Me and also of Medical Cannabis: The Untold Story will be on hand to speak.
Producer/director Leland Cole will talk about his film 10 Percent Solution.
“(Cole) is fighting for clemency for all the people in prison for marijuana in the U.S. and all across the world,” Eastman said.
A $5 donation is requested to attend the expo, “but no one will be turned away for lack of funds,” according to organizer Eastman.