MU’s Hash Bash

November 2008
M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Sep	«-»
	1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29	30

While we’re on the topic of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the annual Hash Bash. With a history stretching all the way back to 1972, it’s one of the longest running pro-marijuana demonstrations in North America.

Here’s coverage of this year’s event, as originally reported by MLive.com . . .

Sun, Sinclair draw crowd to Hash Bash

April 05, 2008

By TOM GANTERT
The Ann Arbor News

Pushed out of its traditional spot on the University of Michigan Diag by a student group, the annual Hash Bash took place in a compact 30-minute format Saturday.

The modified pro-marijuana event was worked into the student group’s program in what organizers of both activities said was in the spirit of getting along.

The student group, Fighting Obstacles Knowing Ultimate Sucess - or FOKUS - reasoned that Hash Bash speaker John Sinclair was suitable to the spirit their organization’s goal of connecting U-M students with art and music.

A poet and former Ann Arborite, Sinclair is of course best known for the marijuana conviction that led to a 1971 “Free John Sinclair” rally at U-M’s Crisler Arena. That rally featured the late John Lennon.

Sinclair also managed the band MC5 and cofounded the Trans Love Energies commune and the White Panther Party.

He kicked off the impromptu Hash Bash at 12:20 p.m. and spoke for about 15 minutes. “People want drugs,” Sinclair said to cheers. “They want to get high. .. Because it’s all good.”

Adam Brook, the Hash Bash’s emcee, got on stage after Sinclair’s speech and told the crowd it was time to leave.

He thanked FOKUS for allowing the Hash Bash its moment. “But we will be back next year and forever,” Brook said.

U-M campus police spokeswoman Diane Brown said no tickets were given involving marijuana. One arrest was made for disorderly conduct.

Campus police estimated 1,200 to 1,500 were at the event. The News estimates put the number closer to 2,000.

The pictures that accompany the previous article were sourced from a nice little blog called Dept Of Homeland Conspiracy, the dynamic young man dressed in red, white, and blue, seen carrying a giant marijuana leaf, is that blog’s author.

For additional perspective on this event, here’s some Hash Bash coverage from Cannabis Culture, circa 1999 . . .

Hash Bash in Michigan
by Dana Larsen (01 Jul, 1999)

Ann Arbor celebrates 28 years of smokin’ pot-parties, despite pressure from cops and the state.

The Hash Bash in Ann Arbor Michigan might just be the longest running annual pot-party in the world. For 28 years crowds have gathered at the University of Michigan to celebrate cannabis culture and smoke themselves silly (except during the War Years of 1984-87). This year was no exception to this fine tradition, with over 5000 people getting together on April 3 to party like it was 1999!

This year’s pot-star line-up included Tommy Chong, Jack Herer, High Times editorial alumi Steve Hagar, and other celebrities.

The Ann Arbor Hash Bash started in 1972 as a way to celebrate the change in Michigan’s pot law from a felony to a misdemeanor. The spirit of marijuana tolerance was strong in Michigan at this time. In 1973 State Legislator Perry Bullard showed up to smoke a joint and make a speech. (Bullard remained a member of the Michigan Legislature until 1992, and died last year.)

Ann Arbor voters changed the City Charter in 1974 to set the fine for marijuana possession at $5. It stayed that way until 1990, when they voted to raise it to $25.

Under Michigan state law, possession of less than 25 grams of pot is a misdemeanor and carries a maximum penalty of a $2,000 fine and/or one year in prison. There is also the lesser offense of “use of marijuana” which carries a maximum term of 90 days and/or a $100 fine.

A few weeks before the event, the Michigan Senate introduced a bill which would prohibit municipalities from having more lenient marijuana laws than the state. Similar measures have been introduced before, but none have passed. Such legislation is always aimed specifically at shutting down the Hash Bash.

Yet oddly enough the University grounds where the Hash Bash takes place is considered state property, so the revellers already face tougher penalties than if caught with pot on Ann Arbor’s streets.

State cops admitted to having a dozen undercover agents in the crowd during the bash, and they also brought in extra cops from outside the area to earn overtime watching the crowd. About 30 people got tickets for use or possession of marijuana, and another 50 got flagged for other violations, including illegally selling merchandise and public alcohol consumption.

Yet despite the cops and the hassle, 5000 people got together to celebrate cannabis culture and have a great time. They succeeded big time, and they’ll be back next year for sure!

It’s been 10 years since Dana Larsen penned that piece for Cannabis Culture, of course since then he’s moved on from his post as that magazine’s editor to co-author Hairy Pothead & the Marijuana Stone among other ventures. We poked a little fun at Hairy Pothead & the Marijuana Stone a few entries back in the Cannabis Chronicles coverage of the Black Tuna Gang, but in all seriousness Mr Larsen has done great service for the cannabis community as a journalist. That’s a story for another time however . . .

Ann Arbor’s Hash Bash is a noteworthy enough event that it has garnered it’s own Wikipedia entry. We’ll include that here also for the sake of completeness before concluding this entry.

Hash Bash
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hash Bash is an annual event held in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on the first Saturday of April at high noon on the University of Michigan Diag. A collection of speeches, live music, street vending and some occasional civil disobedience are centered on the goal of reforming federal, state, and local marijuana laws. The first Hash Bash was held on Saturday, April 1st 1972 in response to the March 9th 1972 decision by Michigan Supreme Court declaring unconstitutional the law used to convict cultural activist John Sinclair for possession of two marijuana joints. This action left the State of Michigan without a law prohibiting the use of marijuana until after the weekend of April 1 1972. Chef Ra was a fixture of the Hash Bash for 19 consecutive years before his death in late 2006.

Ann Arbor has very lenient laws regarding the possession of marijuana – a $25 fine first $50 second $100 third (and subsequent) offense — and is a simple civil infraction rather than a criminal offense, such as misdemeanor or felony (see Marijuana laws in Ann Arbor, Michigan). Even so, the campus of the University of Michigan sits upon state property, and so anyone caught with marijuana on any campus location is subject to the more strict state marijuana laws. As this is the case, there is a separate but heavily related event following Hash Bash just off campus known as the Monroe Street Fair, where there is usually a live show accompanying the many street vendors selling extravagant bongs and other paraphernalia, along with a Michigan NORML booth.

The second annual Hash Bash, in 1973, attracted approximately 3,000 participants. That year, state representative Perry Bullard, a proponent of marijuana legalization, attended and smoked marijuana,an act which later earned him criticism from political opponents.

Hash Bash participants did not encounter significant police interference until the seventh annual event, in 1978, when local police booked, cited, photographed, and released those participants alleged to be using illegal substances.

For a pretty comprehensive look at Hash Bash’s from past years, the Cannabis Freedom Activist Network provides a great number of links to prior news coverage and event pictures at the following website - 2008 Guide To 37th Annual Ann Arbor Hash Bash. For our readers convenience, we’ve also collected those links together as a final addition to this journal entry.