Despite a number of marijuana references on its Web site and statements on other Web sites, The High Country Music Festival Executive Director and owner Saam Golgoon said Alma-based The High Country (THC) Music Festival will not be a festival that will promote marijuana use.
Golgoon said there would be a medical marijuana educational aspect of the festival, which will be in downtown Alma on Aug. 20-22, but it wouldn't dominate the music festival.
And, he said, marijuana use won't be condoned at the festival.
"This is not a free-for-all pot fest," Golgoon said. "We're not promoting or supporting any illegal activity whatsoever."
But the THC Music Festival is being associated heavily with marijuana in the minds of some people, in part due to some references on the THC Music Festival Web site.
Those references include the use of the term "THC" which is the abbreviation for tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in marijuana, and the emphasis by the use of a bigger font for the "420" in Alma's zip code of 80420.
Park County sheriff's Detective Lieutenant Sven Bonnelycke said "420" can refer to heavy marijuana usage on April 20.
"[April 20] is doper holiday," Bonnelycke said.
Golgoon said that imagery was chosen to draw attention to marijuana to a certain extent. He said the festival would promote the idea of medical marijuana as a safe alternative medicine. He also said some of the medical marijuana businesses in Alma are sponsoring the music festival.
At least one musical guest who will perform at the music festival seems to be connected to marijuana use.
Reggae artist Pato Banton is pictured on the music festival Web site wearing a bandana featuring marijuana leaves.
The Internet references weren't limited to the THC Music Festival Web site.
There were also two references made on the High Country Caregiver Web site authored by Thomas Elliott, owner of the Web site. The first, posted on June 8 said, "For those looking for more cannabis friendly towns, consider Alma, Colorado zip code 80420, which will host the THC Music Festival this August 20 - 22, featuring marijuana and music from all over the country. The music festival will have a large tent where medical marijuana patients can medicate on site of the music festival."
The second, more lengthy post was written on June 13, which said, "Alma, CO, America's highest incorporated town will host the THC Festival August 20 - 22, 2010. Alma, Colorado is already on the map as zip code 80420 in Colorado, and hosts 3 Colorado famous medical marijuana dispensaries. No matter where you are at the three day event you will be walking distance to one of the 3 marijuana dispensaries that Alma prides itself on. Don't have your card, don't worry there should be plenty of green for all. Alma medical marijuana is known for being of the purest quality as the fresh air and pure water combined with soil growing cannabis techniques produce only the finest herb. The THC festival is very kid friendly, right in town in Alma, the camping and food are convenient and 2010 will be awesome with reggae legend Pato Banton scheduled to perform. Bring your swimsuit to cool off in the river between sets. Bring your rolling papers and clean your pipe, this ... will be one heady ... event."
In separate e-mails to Flume representatives, Elliott confirmed that he was the sole author of the Web site. He said that the June 13 comment was set to expire after 30 days and would be removed from the Web site after that date.
Elliott also said in an e-mail to The Flume that Banton was a well-known marijuana advocate, who "at the Copper Mountain Spring Concert announced to the crowd to come see his band in Alma at the THC Festival where it would be a very, very marijuana-friendly [event]."
In a follow up e-mail, Elliott said he learned a little bit more about the THC Music Festival and has since changed his belief on the nature of the music festival.
"I found out today that THC stands for 'The High Country', but this is slightly misleading as THC is the active ingredient in marijuana so I thought that a THC Festival funded by marijuana dispensaries was about marijuana," he said in an e-mail.
Elliott also said a mention of the event was made in the magazine High Times, a magazine for marijuana enthusiasts.
He said he believed something was written in the April issue of High Times about the THC Music Festival.
Nothing could be found about the Alma event on HighTimes.com or the April issue of High Times, and an e-mail sent to an editor at High Times wasn't returned by press time.
The statements on the HighCountryCaregiver.com Web site have made at least one Alma resident and former town board member a little nervous about the image the The High Country Music Festival is generating.
Earl McGrew said it's not just the issue of the music festival appearing to support marijuana use; there have been been a large number of medical marijuana dispensary business applications filed in the town.
"I don't want to see this town get this kind of reputation," he said.
He wants the issue of whether to allow more medical marijuana centers in the town limits to be decided by the town's voters.
But at least to Elliott, Alma already has such a reputation.
"Alma is a marijuana free-for-all with or without the THC Music Festival," he said in an e-mail.
Elliott also said in an e-mail he believed a tent would be available for festival attendees to medicate with marijuana during the festival.
He said he understood that the High Country Healing medical marijuana dispensary, owned by Mark January, was telling its patients about the medical marijuana tent, something January denied.
January said High Country Healing would be participating in the medical marijuana informational events during the music festival to help educate the public about potential health benefits.
January said that he believes marijuana consumption is less harmful than alcohol consumption, yet alcohol consumption is legal and prevalent in many town events.
He also said medical marijuana is a benefit to the tax base of the town, and although some people don't like it, marijuana is in Colorado to stay.
Golgoon said that although some Alma residents are worried about the image of the town, more are worried about the number of people that might attend and how that would impact the town for the three-day music festival.
He said the impacts would be kept to a minimum. Volunteers will be on hand to ensure that attendees aren't parking in wrong areas or blocking private residences.
"The concern has been the town not getting taken over," he said. "Our goal is to keep this a peaceful, happy festival where everybody's having fun, everybody's being safe, and none of the town residents are being bothered about what's going on in town."
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: The Flume
Author: Mike Potter
Copyright: 2010 The Flume
Golgoon said there would be a medical marijuana educational aspect of the festival, which will be in downtown Alma on Aug. 20-22, but it wouldn't dominate the music festival.
And, he said, marijuana use won't be condoned at the festival.
"This is not a free-for-all pot fest," Golgoon said. "We're not promoting or supporting any illegal activity whatsoever."
But the THC Music Festival is being associated heavily with marijuana in the minds of some people, in part due to some references on the THC Music Festival Web site.
Those references include the use of the term "THC" which is the abbreviation for tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in marijuana, and the emphasis by the use of a bigger font for the "420" in Alma's zip code of 80420.
Park County sheriff's Detective Lieutenant Sven Bonnelycke said "420" can refer to heavy marijuana usage on April 20.
"[April 20] is doper holiday," Bonnelycke said.
Golgoon said that imagery was chosen to draw attention to marijuana to a certain extent. He said the festival would promote the idea of medical marijuana as a safe alternative medicine. He also said some of the medical marijuana businesses in Alma are sponsoring the music festival.
At least one musical guest who will perform at the music festival seems to be connected to marijuana use.
Reggae artist Pato Banton is pictured on the music festival Web site wearing a bandana featuring marijuana leaves.
The Internet references weren't limited to the THC Music Festival Web site.
There were also two references made on the High Country Caregiver Web site authored by Thomas Elliott, owner of the Web site. The first, posted on June 8 said, "For those looking for more cannabis friendly towns, consider Alma, Colorado zip code 80420, which will host the THC Music Festival this August 20 - 22, featuring marijuana and music from all over the country. The music festival will have a large tent where medical marijuana patients can medicate on site of the music festival."
The second, more lengthy post was written on June 13, which said, "Alma, CO, America's highest incorporated town will host the THC Festival August 20 - 22, 2010. Alma, Colorado is already on the map as zip code 80420 in Colorado, and hosts 3 Colorado famous medical marijuana dispensaries. No matter where you are at the three day event you will be walking distance to one of the 3 marijuana dispensaries that Alma prides itself on. Don't have your card, don't worry there should be plenty of green for all. Alma medical marijuana is known for being of the purest quality as the fresh air and pure water combined with soil growing cannabis techniques produce only the finest herb. The THC festival is very kid friendly, right in town in Alma, the camping and food are convenient and 2010 will be awesome with reggae legend Pato Banton scheduled to perform. Bring your swimsuit to cool off in the river between sets. Bring your rolling papers and clean your pipe, this ... will be one heady ... event."
In separate e-mails to Flume representatives, Elliott confirmed that he was the sole author of the Web site. He said that the June 13 comment was set to expire after 30 days and would be removed from the Web site after that date.
Elliott also said in an e-mail to The Flume that Banton was a well-known marijuana advocate, who "at the Copper Mountain Spring Concert announced to the crowd to come see his band in Alma at the THC Festival where it would be a very, very marijuana-friendly [event]."
In a follow up e-mail, Elliott said he learned a little bit more about the THC Music Festival and has since changed his belief on the nature of the music festival.
"I found out today that THC stands for 'The High Country', but this is slightly misleading as THC is the active ingredient in marijuana so I thought that a THC Festival funded by marijuana dispensaries was about marijuana," he said in an e-mail.
Elliott also said a mention of the event was made in the magazine High Times, a magazine for marijuana enthusiasts.
He said he believed something was written in the April issue of High Times about the THC Music Festival.
Nothing could be found about the Alma event on HighTimes.com or the April issue of High Times, and an e-mail sent to an editor at High Times wasn't returned by press time.
The statements on the HighCountryCaregiver.com Web site have made at least one Alma resident and former town board member a little nervous about the image the The High Country Music Festival is generating.
Earl McGrew said it's not just the issue of the music festival appearing to support marijuana use; there have been been a large number of medical marijuana dispensary business applications filed in the town.
"I don't want to see this town get this kind of reputation," he said.
He wants the issue of whether to allow more medical marijuana centers in the town limits to be decided by the town's voters.
But at least to Elliott, Alma already has such a reputation.
"Alma is a marijuana free-for-all with or without the THC Music Festival," he said in an e-mail.
Elliott also said in an e-mail he believed a tent would be available for festival attendees to medicate with marijuana during the festival.
He said he understood that the High Country Healing medical marijuana dispensary, owned by Mark January, was telling its patients about the medical marijuana tent, something January denied.
January said High Country Healing would be participating in the medical marijuana informational events during the music festival to help educate the public about potential health benefits.
January said that he believes marijuana consumption is less harmful than alcohol consumption, yet alcohol consumption is legal and prevalent in many town events.
He also said medical marijuana is a benefit to the tax base of the town, and although some people don't like it, marijuana is in Colorado to stay.
Golgoon said that although some Alma residents are worried about the image of the town, more are worried about the number of people that might attend and how that would impact the town for the three-day music festival.
He said the impacts would be kept to a minimum. Volunteers will be on hand to ensure that attendees aren't parking in wrong areas or blocking private residences.
"The concern has been the town not getting taken over," he said. "Our goal is to keep this a peaceful, happy festival where everybody's having fun, everybody's being safe, and none of the town residents are being bothered about what's going on in town."
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: The Flume
Author: Mike Potter
Copyright: 2010 The Flume
