Nimbin may go up in smoke

[Puffin13]

Nimbin may go up in smoke
Saffron Howden | 28th April 2009

IF FILLING a clip-lock bag with exactly 28.3495 grams of dried plant matter for a chance to win gold wasn't excitement enough, MardiGrass is hoping to have ultimate stoners Cheech and Chong along as special guests.

Preparations for the 17th annual Nimbin MardiGrass have sent the small Northern Rivers town into a spin as it gears up for this weekend of festivities and an influx of tourists and guests.

And to top off the two days of cannabis law reform events and games, MardiGrass spokesman Michael Balderstone said organisers were expecting to welcome at least Chong, and possibly Cheech, in town.

“We've had a friend talking to them and they're really trying to come,” Mr Balderstone said. “At least Tommy will come.”

American comics Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, who shot to marijuana fame in the 1970s with the cult classic Up In Smoke, are touring for the first time in 25 years and are currently in Australia.

They perform in Brisbane on Thursday and the Gold Coast on Sunday night, leaving them plenty of time to judge their look-alike competition at Nimbin as part of the weekend's main event, the MardiGrass rally.

Last year, the festival attracted a crowd of around 15,000 people.

Although police apprehended 80 of them, most for drug-related offences, many received just a caution.

The operation involved random breath-tests, sniffer dogs and roadside drug testing, as well as street patrols on foot.

This year, MardiGrass will include a forum on medical cannabis cards with international visitors.

Organisers have also added a new Hemp Olympix gold medal event to the mix, where contestants will attempt to fill a standard clip-lock bag with 28.3495 grams of, for example, industrial hemp.

More than 30 bands are scheduled to perform over the weekend.

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