Operation 'Orange Fingers' and Hempfest kick off this weekend

SEATTLE -- Friday is the kick off to the largest "protestival" in the country. Hempfest

Two-hundred and fifty thousand people are expected along Seattle's waterfront for the three-day event.

Hempfest organizers said the goal of the event is to send a strong message to Washington D.C. that pot prohibition doesn't work and should be repealed on a federal level. Recreational marijuana is legal in Washington state following I-502.

Venders will be on hand selling shirts, food and more. Pro-pot rally goers will also be handing out pamphlets on hemp and its many uses. A large number of speakers  will take the stage to discuss pot.

This is the 22nd year for the pro-pot rally and it is free to attend. For more information on Hempfest, click here.

Seattle police will also be among the people in the crowd. Officers will be warning folks not to smoke pot in public and spreading their message about the new pot laws.

Cops will be handing out 1,000 bags of Doritos to get that message out. Each bag has a label talking about I-502 and the new pot laws in Washington state. The bags of chips will also have a link to the Seattle Police Department website explaining things.

For more on that, visit here. 


Hempfest begins Friday at noon. The three day event ends Sunday evening at 8pm.