Marijuana enthusiast plans party despite county pushback
By Luke Hollister
I am following the story of Dax Taylor, the creator of Weedstock, a three day event specifically for the sake of bringing people together to smoke weed.
Weedstock, the pro-cannabis party, took place a ways off the main road on private property between Pullman and Colfax. Taylor initially tried to work with the Whitman County commissioners to find a location but he said the fees they imposed on him which were too high.
Dean Kinzer, a Whitman county commissioner, said the only reason it can be held on private land is because of “one little phrase” in Whitman County’s outdoor amusement and assembly code.
A permit to hold an event this size normally would cost only about $125 in fees but one would also have abide by other county codes like sanitation, providing water and security, he said.
My intention was to document why someone would put the effort into throwing an event like this given the amount of push back they faced. I also tried to show the people who traveled from far away just so they could be a part of pro-marijuana gathering like Weedstock.
Since admission to the event is free, Weedstock is not required to obtain a permit from the county.
Taylor created Weedstock, which took weeks to plan, partly because he wanted to help end the stigma around marijuana use.
Dax Taylor raffles off free marijuana products to a crowd of attendees Saturday near Union flat creek between Pullman and Colfax.
An attendee preps a water pipe for dabbing. Organizers highly discouraged substances other than weed to be used or brought to Weedstcock.
Dax Taylor held the event off the beaten path, far away from any main roads. One could not hear cars on the highway, just nature, and whatever festivities Weedstock brought.
A couple of attendees take turns dabbing. Prior to the event, organizers suggested people to bring bags of marijuana with their favorite strains.
Around 100 people were left by day two. Lots of attendees hid from the sun by opting to instead toke up in their tents.
A man exhales after taking a hit inside of Weedstock’s “party bus.”
Dax Taylor, organizer of Weedstock, stops to inform attendees of their rights on private property before they enter.
Cliff Dube paints along the main walkway at Weedstock. He said he smokes marijuana because he does not want to use the opioid based medicine that doctors prescribed to him.
A death metal band member screams his lyrics amid the aroma of cannabis and cigarettes Saturday afternoon.
Rappers wait for the stage to be set up before performing. The Sun Rental Center initially planned to set up, but backed out once they learned that the event would have marijuana.