Celebrate Summer

A rundown of cannabis events happening in the state of Washington

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Greg Shaw

Seattle Hempfest runs Aug. 18-20.

Summer is festival season here in the Northwest. There are music festivals, food festivals, beer festivals, and a gathering for pretty much any other interest you might have. So it's natural that there are a number of cannabis-related events in our region, too.

Here's a quick cheat sheet for the green-friendly happenings this summer, so you can turn your travels around the state into a weed-cation.

J FEST: BLAINE, WASH.

June 24

If you want to check out Vancouver, B.C. — which has a solid cannabis scene of its own — consider stopping off at this event in the border town of Blaine (facebook.com/JFestBlaine). There will be live music and local art displays. And, of course, cannabis.

HEMPFEST: SEATTLE

Aug. 18-20

Back during the days of cannabis prohibition, Seattle's Hempfest was a display of collective civil disobedience on a massive scale, as nearly 100,000 people gathered to rally for legal weed and illicitly indulge. Even though cannabis is now legal, the event (hempfest.org) hasn't lost much steam. It's still a huge gathering, and the political and social stances have progressed to include taking cannabis off the list of items on the Controlled Substances Act list, reforming tax laws and legal reform. There are also tons of vendors and music, and a whole lot of laid-back folks.

TERPESTIVAL: SEATTLE

July 15

This festival is for the weed geeks out there who want to get deep into the science of cannabis, or perhaps put their strains to the test. At Terpestival (cannabisandsocialpolicy.org/terpestival-2017), cannabis producers, retailers and processors can have their products tested for terpene characteristics (the fragrant oils in cannabis) and ranked accordingly. May the best buds win.

KING CANNABIS EXPO: SPOKANE

Sept. 29-30

This looks to be one of the biggest cannabis events the Inland Northwest has ever seen. Taking place at the Spokane Convention Center, this expo (kingcannabisexpo.com) will provide a top-to-bottom look at the state's cannabis industry, with vendors from all levels of the growing-to-selling process. There will even be a room for wholesalers and retailers to buy or sell their product. ♦