Giant Joints Prohibited at the G20 Summit

The HEMP Embassy had planned to organise a pro-legalization rally with aboriginal demonstrators at Musgrave Park in South Brisbane this Thursday, coinciding with international leaders' visit to the city. 

Their objective was to ask the G20 to include the use of medicinal marijuana on its agenda. According to this group, as the United States has finally begun to take firm steps towards legalisation, the issue ought to be on the table at the summit's sessions.

But the Australian authorities have prohibited them from rolling out their blow-up, claiming that its dimensions exceed those permitted for "unidentified political objects." Neither will they be able to display signs measuring over 1 x 2 meters.

However, activists will be able to carry miniature joints on their march - even though all together their volume may exceed that of the inflatable object at the centre of the controversy, according to the group's president Michael Balderstone.

The "HEMP Embassy" is well known for having used this great floating doobie in all its marches for years, with the words "Good Medicine" written on it, and it is not the first time that they have tried to use it as a vessel conveying their messages to major leaders. In fact, they have employed a twist on President Obama's motto ("Yes, we can-nabis") as an iconic image on their signs.

In 2011 they almost managed to "smuggle" it in to the American president's first official visit to Australia, in Camberra. In a cordoned-off area of some 150 metres from the House of Parliament, a team of eight activists, including President Michael Balderstone, patiently waited all day in the hopes that Obama might see the messages, come over and chat with them. 

Late in the afternoon, BIG JOINT was deflated without ever bringing about the encounter with the leader they had wished for. It seems that this time it won't be possible either…

At Dinafem we would would like to demonstrate our support for the HEMP Embassy so that it can freely fly its inflatable. After all, we're really into "getting high" too!