Longtime Washington State Marijuana Activist Vivian McPeak Is My Hero
It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Vivian McPeak. When it comes to people that have fought for marijuana policy reform in the Pacific Northwest, there are few (if any) that have done as much as Vivian McPeak. For those of you that have been living under a rock the last couple of decades, Vivian McPeak co-founded the Seattle Hempfest. If you don’t know what Seattle Hempfest is, it’s only the largest marijuana activist gathering in the world. As someone that grew up in Oregon, I can say first hand that the Seattle Hempfest is second to none when it comes to marijuana events. If you have never been there, you are missing out!
Vivian McPeak is a guest writer for Seattlepi.com. His bio states “Vivian McPeak is a Pacific Northwest based musician and social justice activist. As the executive director of the world’s largest cannabis policy reform rally, the Seattle Hempfest, McPeak has helped influence regional cannabis policies. He recently wrote ‘Protestival: A Twenty Year Retrospective of Seattle Hempfest.'” I encourage you to follow his blog posts and check out his book.
You can also see Vivian McPeak featured in the documentary ‘A NORML Life.’ I wrote an article about the film when it was being released, and this is what I had to say about Vivian McPeak, “Then it cuts into a scene with the amazing Vivian McPeak, Executive Director of the Seattle Hempfest. As a member of the Pacific Northwest, I have long admired this man’s courage and dedication toward the movement. He has two of the best quotes in the entire movie, and believe I will be including these in my everyday lingo. He said that America’s pot laws are ‘fixing a problem that never existed.’ He also said that we have ‘reached a critical mass to deal with this critical mess.’ I don’t know if he invented those phrases, but I do know that he is a very hip guy.”
If you live in the State of Washington or across the Columbia river in my home state of Oregon, and you consume marijuana or beyond, than you owe more than you know to marijuana hero Vivian McPeak. If you are a new marijuana activist out there, and you are trying to figure out what you should ‘be like when you grow up,’ look no further than Vivian McPeak. He exemplifies everything a marijuana activist should be – he is not afraid to speak the truth in public settings about the ridiculousness of current marijuana laws, he works tirelessly to make a difference in the marijuana movement, and his backs up his words and ideas with actions.
If we had more Vivian McPeaks out there, the world would no doubt be a better and more peaceful place! With Washington State looking to legalize marijuana in 2012, I can only imagine how awesome it is to have a guy like Vivian McPeak on your side! I leave you with a video of the legendary marijuana hero Vivian McPeak, endorsing a California campaign to regulate marijuana like wine:
And a video of Vivian McPeak leading a huge marijuana march:
