Hash Bash
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 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 1 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 Cannabis 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. In addition, since state law takes precedence over municipal law, many people are prosecuted under state law regardless of where in Ann Arbor they are located. 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 bong
s 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.
The 2009 Hash Bash on April 4 celebrated medical marijuana's victory in Michigan and was the largest gathering that the event has seen in years, with an estimated 1600 participants – an increased turnout which the Michigan Daily
attributed to the "wider acceptance of recreational drug use both on campus and across the country."
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
, on the first Saturday of April at high noon
High Noon (disambiguation)
High Noon is a 1952 western film directed by Fred Zinnemann.High Noon may also refer to:* High Noon , by Mark Heard, released in 1993...
on the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
Diag
The Diag
At the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, the Diag is a large open space in the middle of the university's Central Campus. Originally known as the Diagonal Green, the Diag derives its name from the many sidewalks running near or through it in diagonal directions...
. A collection of speeches, live music, street vending and occasional civil disobedience
Civil disobedience
Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power. Civil disobedience is commonly, though not always, defined as being nonviolent resistance. It is one form of civil resistance...
are centered on the goal of reforming federal, state, and local marijuana laws. The first Hash Bash was held on Saturday, April 1 1972 in response to the March 9th 1972 decision by Michigan Supreme Court declaring unconstitutional the law used to convict cultural activist John Sinclair
John Sinclair (poet)
John Sinclair is a Detroit poet, one-time manager of the band MC5, and leader of the White Panther Party — a militantly anti-racist countercultural group of white socialists seeking to assist the Black Panthers in the Civil Rights movement — from November 1968 to July 1969...
for possession of two marijuana joints
Joint (cannabis)
Joint is a slang term for a cigarette rolled using cannabis. Rolling papers are the most common rolling medium among industrialized countries, however brown paper, cigarettes with the tobacco removed, and newspaper are commonly used in developing countries. Modern papers are now made from a wide...
. 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
Chef Ra
Chef Ra , born Jim Wilson, Jr., was a long-time marijuana advocate and cannabis foods writer in the United States. After gaining notoriety as a ganja gourmet, he began writing his High Times column, "Chef Ra's Psychedelic Kitchen", in 1988 at the request of editor Steve Hager...
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
Civil Infraction
In common law countries, a civil infraction is a non-criminal violation of a rule, ordinance, or regulation.-United States law:A civil infraction is violation of the law less serious than a misdemeanor, and which usually does not attach certain indiviual rights such as a jury trial.-Punishments for...
rather than a criminal offense, such as misdemeanor
Misdemeanor
A misdemeanor is a "lesser" criminal act in many common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished much less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions and regulatory offences...
or felony
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
(see Cannabis laws in Ann Arbor, Michigan). Even so, the campus of the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship 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. In addition, since state law takes precedence over municipal law, many people are prosecuted under state law regardless of where in Ann Arbor they are located. 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 bong
Bong
A bong is a filtration device/apparatus generally used for smoking cannabis, tobacco,or other herbal substances.In construction and function a bong is similar to a hookah, except smaller and more portable...
s and other paraphernalia
Paraphernalia
In modern usage, the word paraphernalia most commonly refers to apparatus, equipment, or furnishing used in or necessary for a particular activity as in, "Beth is such an avid sports fan that her walls are covered with baseball 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
Perry Bullard
Perry Bullard , , was a Democratic politician and lawyer in Ann Arbor, Michigan.Bullard was born in Cleveland, Ohio. After serving in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War, he ran successfully for the Michigan House of Representatives in 1972...
, 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.
The 2009 Hash Bash on April 4 celebrated medical marijuana's victory in Michigan and was the largest gathering that the event has seen in years, with an estimated 1600 participants – an increased turnout which the Michigan Daily
Michigan Daily
The Michigan Daily is the daily student newspaper of the University of Michigan. Its first edition was published on September 29, 1890. The newspaper is financially and editorially independent of the University's administration and other student groups, but shares a university building with other...
attributed to the "wider acceptance of recreational drug use both on campus and across the country."
Recent and Upcoming Hash Bash Dates
- 2012: 41st annual - April 7
- 2011: 40th annual - April 2
- 2010: 39th annual - April 3
- 2009: 38th annual - April 4
- 2008: 37th annual - April 5
- 2007: 36th annual - April 7
- 2006: 35th annual - April 1
- 2005: 34th annual - April 2
- 2004: 33rd annual - April 3
- 2003: 32nd annual - April 5
External links
- Monroe Street Fair official site
- "Pro-pot event gets touch of Hollywood" - Geoff Larcom for the Ann Arbor News, April 8, 2007.