Pubdate: Mon, 06 Apr 2009
Source: Daily Nexus (UC Santa Barbara, CA Edu)
Copyright: 2009 Daily Nexus
Contact:  http://www.ucsbdailynexus.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2729
Author: Nico Kiefer

NORML HOSTS MARIJUANA EVENT

Isla Vista residents packed into Anisq' Oyo' Park yesterday for the 
fifth annual Joint Rolling Competition and daylong festival in 
celebration of all things green and sticky.

The event, hosted by the National Organization for the Reform of 
Marijuana Laws, capped off a weekend of reveling throughout I.V. and 
saw several hundred students, vendors and marijuana enthusiasts 
relaxing in the sunshine to watch the festival's main event - the 
joint rolling contest. The competition consisted of several 
categories - fattest, fastest, freestyle and primo categories for 
both joints and blunts, and a joint-only contest for medical 
marijuana and one-handed specialists.

Alexander Stemplewski, who registered for every competition category 
and won the race for most joints rolled within two minutes, said he 
felt the event fostered a sense of community.

I think it's an awesome competition," Stemplewski, a second-year 
financial math and statistics major said. "It brings a great group of 
people together."

Stemplewski also came out on top for the fattest blunt competition 
and took second place in the fattest joint competition.

The freestyle joint rolling competition proved to be a high point of 
the afternoon, as I.V.'s most visionary rollers went head to head 
crafting cross joints and braided joints. Ultimately, George Pelic 
was crowned the winner for his creation, the "Torpedo-Tulip."

I used to work in a cannabis club in L.A. rolling joints," Pelic, a 
business administration major said. "I learned how to roll in Europe. 
I was the apprentice of a well-known joint roller there."

As the event's host, NORML used the festivities to promote their 
overarching goals, which focus primarily on changing marijuana laws, 
member Ruth Nichols said.

As a club, we're into reforming marijuana laws for personal and 
medical use and industrial hemp use," Nichols said.

For students interested in getting involved in NORML activity, the 
group meets every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in 1930 Buchanan Hall.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart