The National Cannabis Festival is a yearly, one-day event held at the

Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, commonly known as RFK Stadium and originally known as District of Columbia Stadium, is a defunct multi-purpose stadium in Washington, D.C. It is located about due east of the U.S. Capitol building, near the ...

festival grounds with a focus on the music, advocacy, education, and activism related to

cannabis in Washington, D.C. In Washington, D.C., cannabis is legal for both medical use and recreational use for possession, personal use, cultivation, transportation and gifting, and for retail sale once a regulatory system is implemented following an affirmative vote b ...

The festival debuted in 2016 following the passing of Initiative 71, a voter-approved ballot initiative that legalized recreational use of marijuana in the District of Columbia. It was founded by Caroline Phillips, who announced the inaugural event with an Indiegogo campaign, raising an initial $21,000 to help cover costs through crowd-sourced fundraising efforts. The festival includes music concerts, an education pavilion, and vendor fair.

2016

National Cannabis Festival's inaugural event occurred on August 23, 2016 and was headlined by

De La Soul De La Soul () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative ...

Jesse Royal Jesse Te Ahukaramu Royal (born 22 March 1980) is a professional rugby league footballer from New Zealand who currently plays for the Kurri Kurri Bulldogs in the Newcastle Rugby League. He has previously played in the NRL for the Newcastle Knigh ...

, and BackYard Band. Despite legalization, DC's law stipulates cannabis can't be used in a public space. As result, the 2016 festival was a weed-free event.

Music line-up

* BackYard Band *Congo Sanchez *Nappy Riddem *Awthentik *Alison Carney *DJ Ayes Cold *Ethan Spalding

Education pavilion

The education pavilion featured talks and demonstrations about cannabis growing, consumption, and social issues. The most well-attended panel was the CannaTank competition, a contest for cannabis entrepreneurs to pitch their inventions to a panel of judges to win $1,000 toward their company. The 2016 judges panel included

David Grosso David Grosso (born September 18, 1970) is an American attorney and politician. He is a former at-large member of the Council of the District of Columbia who lives in Brookland. A native Washingtonian, he graduated from Earlham College and Georget ...

, an at-large member of the

Council of the District of Columbia The Council of the District of Columbia is the legislative branch of the local government of the District of Columbia, the capital of the United States. As permitted in the United States Constitution, the district is not part of any U.S. state ...

. The winner was the Ardent NOVO decarboxylator, a device designed to optimize the cannabis flower's THC yield through process of

decarboxylation Decarboxylation is a chemical reaction that removes a carboxyl group and releases carbon dioxide (CO2). Usually, decarboxylation refers to a reaction of carboxylic acids, removing a carbon atom from a carbon chain. The reverse process, which is t ...

2017

On November 17, 2016, organizers announced the 2017 event would occur on April 22, 2017 and would feature performances by

Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with ...

The Pharcyde The Pharcyde (currently known as The Far Side) is an American alternative hip hop group, formed in 1989, from South Central Los Angeles. The original four members of the group are Imani (Emandu Wilcox), Slimkid3 (Trevant Hardson), Bootie Brown ...

, BackYard Band, Kanyatta Hill of

Culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

, Empresarios, Pinky Killacorn & Visto, Reesa Renee, and DJ Ayes Cold. The Festival's second event occurred on April 22, 2017 and once again it was a weed-free event.

References

External links

* {{Cannabis in Washington, D.C., state=expanded Music festivals in Washington, D.C. Music festivals established in 2016 Cannabis events in the United States 2016 in cannabis Cannabis in Washington, D.C. 2016 establishments in Washington, D.C.