MEDIA RELEASE August 30 2022
From the the MardiGrass Organising Body
NIMBIN’S 30th MARDIGRASS A SPRING PLANTING CEREMONY
Nimbin’s 30th annual MardiGrass, a cannabis law reform protest on the first weekend in May, was postponed this year because of the floods. It’s now on in a couple of weeks over the weekend of September 16th to 18th.
“It’s usually a harvest festival,” said Michael Balderstone, president of the MOB, the Mardigrass Organising Body. “But a lot of the harvest was flooded this year, so a Spring planting ceremony seems appropriate.”
There will be movies, a photo exhibition and Yarndi Yarns to share old memories of past MardiGrass’s, as well as all the usual favourite events.
Some high lights include the Great Green Cabaret on Friday evening, the Kombi Konvoy and Hemp Olympix on Saturday and Big Protest Rally Sunday. Pot Art and Pot Poetry is on again as well as a new event, the MMMA, MardiGrass Marijuana Music Awards.
The Hemp Olympix now famous events, the Bong Throw and Yell, Growers Iron Person Event and Joint Rolling competitions will be officially monitored this year by Belgium officials after world records were broken last year but drug testing not completed before hand in the appropriate way. The records were not accepted.
The Hemposium is a packed program of speakers on all things cannabis related spread over 4 stages on both days. An extra ordinary collection of Aussie weed experts. There is a lot to talk about.
Michael Pettersson the young ACT Labor politician who initiated the laws that allow Canberrians to grow 2 plants and who is now trying to decriminalise personal amounts of all drugs there, is coming to MardiGrass for the first time. As is solicitor Bernie Bradley, the Legalise Cannabis candidate that gave Pauline a run for her money in Qld in the recent Federal election.
There is also a concerted effort to help people get to and from MardiGrass without losing their licence.
“Drug free drivers are much sought after around Nimbin at MardiGrass time and quite a large community network is pulling together this year to help each other out. The answer to a lot of problems is community and it’s something Nimbin is good at. And there’s nothing like a war to pull a community together!
This is an important protest weekend. The drug war just plods on relentlessly even though most everyone agrees drug use is a health issue. How are we going to stop it?
The two core issues we are protesting about, is to be allowed to grow our own medicine instead of having to buy it expensively from big corporations via a doctor.
And the drug driving rules must change to an impairment test. It’s appalling that medical cannabis users are losing their licences just for having a tiny old residue of cannabis in their saliva which is not affecting their driving ability at all.
The full program is on nimbinmardigrass.com and volunteers have begun arriving to set up the event. Volunteers can register on the website as can DFD’s, drug free drivers who can be part of the Ubud or Duber networks. Or you can register at the HEMP Embassy in Nimbin or on Facebook at Mardi grass rideshare.
Michael Balderstone
President, Nimbin HEMP Embassy, Legalise Cannabis Australia (Formerly Australian HEMP Party) & Nimbin MardiGrass
51 Cullen Street
Nimbin NSW 2480
Phone: (02) 66890326 or 0472 760236
“The war on drugs seems to be all about who gets to profit from our pain relief, a truly sick business.”
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