cannabisnews.com: Growing a Pot Movement Growing a Pot Movement Posted by CN Staff on April 04, 2008 at 05:13:56 PT By Daily Editorial Staff Source: Michigan Daily Michigan -- Even though it is now dominated by aging hippies and stunted by underwhelming turnout, Hash Bash is one of Ann Arbor's most recognizable traditions with one of its most important messages. Instead of a half-baked celebration of marijuana culture, the event is supposed to be a protest against America's unnecessary and counterproductive marijuana laws. In this 37th year, students and activists should seize this opportunity to return Hash Bash to its roots - potentially with help of one of the event's key figures. The story of Hash Bash began in 1969 with the absurd. Arrested for possession of two joints, Hill Street resident John Sinclair was sentenced to prison for nine and a half to 10 years in prison under Michigan's draconian drug laws. Two years later, students and Ann Arborites rallied together for a "Free John Now Rally" at Crisler Arena. The event showcased the who's-who of left-leaning artists, including legends John Lennon and Stevie Wonder. Three days after the rally, the Michigan Supreme Court released Sinclair, striking down Michigan's marijuana laws as unconstitutional.When the state legislature replaced the laws with more lenient (but still unnecessary) drug laws, activists responded in protest - a tradition that continues on the first Saturday of every April. Unfortunately, apathy - and bad weather - have extinguished much of Hash Bash's atmosphere on its last few anniversaries. Few students attend the event, and instead locals who remember the glory days when 15,000 people packed Crisler Arena to free Sinclair fill the Diag.But it shouldn't be that way. Grassroots efforts like Hash Bash are a major reason for Ann Arbor's lenient marijuana laws, and should be a continued priority. Here, marijuana possession is considered a misdemeanor, with a $25 penalty for a first offense, $50 for a second and a $100 for all subsequent offenses. Further, because of a 2004 ballot initiative, medical marijuana is legal in the city, at least according to the city code. Both of these are positive reforms that shouldn't be kept inside the bubble of Ann Arbor.Nationwide, our strict marijuana laws continue to make little sense - with criminalization causing much more harm than legalization ever would. In 2005 alone, it was estimated that more than 600,000 arrests were made in connection with the marijuana market. Billions of dollars go to arresting, processing and prosecuting anyone with marijuana, from casual smokers to dealers. These people crowd America's already-jammed jails and prisons, contributing to America's status as the world leader in incarceration rates. And all of this for a drug that is no more damaging than cigarettes or alcohol and certainly not a threat to public safety or health.At tomorrow's Hash Bash, the event's 37th anniversary, Sinclair may return to Ann Arbor from his home in Amsterdam to revitalize the event. But the movement to change America's illogical drug laws will need more than an aging hippie to spearhead the effort. Students should turn out tomorrow at "high noon" for Hash Bash - not as an excuse to wear that T-shirt with a pot leaf on it and get high, but because the Diag can be a place to make a difference.Note: Tomorrow's Hash Bash needs a student revival.Source: Michigan Daily (MI Edu)Published: April 4, 2008Copyright: 2008 The Michigan DailyContact: daily.letters umich.eduWebsite: http://www.michigandaily.com/ Michigan NORMLhttp://www.minorml.org/Hash Bash Might Not Be Able To Secure Diaghttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23789.shtmlCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #7 posted by whig on April 05, 2008 at 11:50:01 PT fight 4 freedom Good music. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on April 04, 2008 at 08:00:41 PT fight_4_freedom Thank you. The Spirit lives on and that is a good thing. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by fight_4_freedom on April 04, 2008 at 07:56:19 PT: FoM http://www.myspace.com/mihashbashhttp://www.monroestreetfair.com/http://www.minorml.org/I can't find the original Hash Bash site, but the myspace site will do the trick.Starts at High Noon on the Diag of the U of M campus. As always, there will be one hour of speeches followed by a march to Monroe Street.The Monroe St. Fair begins at noon as well, but you wouldn't want to miss all the passionate speeches on campus now would you. Then it ends at 5:30.I'm sure there will also be plenty of Hash Bash after parties as well. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on April 04, 2008 at 07:33:32 PT fight_4_freedom I couldn't find a web site for The Hash Bash. Do you know if they have one this year? Thank you for the links. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by fight_4_freedom on April 04, 2008 at 07:15:09 PT: FoM Thank You. This is what it's all about. Coming together to stand up for what we all believe in. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-NRriHlLUk John Lennon - "Give Peace a Chance"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgr9YDDdcQE John Lennon - "John Sinclair"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8gp1v7Zi00 Clip from last year's Hash Bash featuring David Arquette. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on April 04, 2008 at 06:40:12 PT fight_4_freedom I hope you and everyone will have a great time. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by fight_4_freedom on April 04, 2008 at 06:21:45 PT: Excellent Article And it's going to be a blast! Finally, we'll have some nice weather for it. It's supposed to be almost 60 and partly cloudy. It surely beats last year's 10 degree snowstorm that we had. lol [ Post Comment ] Post Comment