High Times Freedom Fighters
Encyclopedia
The High Times Freedom Fighters was a marijuana legalization group started by High Times Editor-in-Chief Steven Hager
in 1987. The group was famous for marching into marijuana rallies dressed in psychedelic Colonial-style outfits while playing drums. They injected life into what had become a dying legalization movement, forged a new generation of activists, and created a number of events around the country, the largest of which is the Boston Freedom Rally
, which drew 100,000 people to Boston Common in the 1990s. The Freedom Fighters published a national newsletter for four years edited by Linda Noel (who also founded the Boston Freedom Rally). The Freedom Fighters also created free kitchens at the summer National Rainbow Family
Gatherings, and the winter Regional Gatherings in Ocala
, Florida
.
In 1990, High Times released the documentary film Let Freedom Ring, detailing the activities of the group. The film was directed by Bob Brandel and featured music by the original Soul Assassins. In 1993, the mailing list was given to the NORML and the organization was disbanded. Members of the group went on to create The Cannabis Action Network and The Green Panthers, among other groups. Even after the group disbanded, High Times continued to name a Freedom Fighter of the Month in every issue of the magazine, as well as an annual Freedom Fighter of the Year, who was always crowned at the Cannabis Cup
in Amsterdam.
According to Steven Hager's myspace blog:
Steven Hager
Steven Hager, a writer, journalist, filmmaker, and counterculture and cannabis activist, was born May 25, 1951, in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, the son of Lowell P. Hager and Francis Erea Hager.-Early life and career:...
in 1987. The group was famous for marching into marijuana rallies dressed in psychedelic Colonial-style outfits while playing drums. They injected life into what had become a dying legalization movement, forged a new generation of activists, and created a number of events around the country, the largest of which is the Boston Freedom Rally
Freedom Rally
The Boston Freedom Rally is an annual event in Boston, Massachusetts. Held on the third Saturday in September, it is traditionally the second largest annual gathering demanding marijuana law reform in the United States, after the Seattle Hempfest...
, which drew 100,000 people to Boston Common in the 1990s. The Freedom Fighters published a national newsletter for four years edited by Linda Noel (who also founded the Boston Freedom Rally). The Freedom Fighters also created free kitchens at the summer National Rainbow Family
Rainbow Family
The Rainbow Family of Living Light is a loosely affiliated group of individuals committed to principles of non-violence and egalitarianism. They put on events known as Rainbow Gatherings....
Gatherings, and the winter Regional Gatherings in Ocala
Ocala, Florida
Ocala is a city in Marion County, Florida. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 53,491. It is the county seat of Marion County, and the principal city of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2007 population of 324,857.-History:Ocala...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
In 1990, High Times released the documentary film Let Freedom Ring, detailing the activities of the group. The film was directed by Bob Brandel and featured music by the original Soul Assassins. In 1993, the mailing list was given to the NORML and the organization was disbanded. Members of the group went on to create The Cannabis Action Network and The Green Panthers, among other groups. Even after the group disbanded, High Times continued to name a Freedom Fighter of the Month in every issue of the magazine, as well as an annual Freedom Fighter of the Year, who was always crowned at the Cannabis Cup
Cannabis Cup
The High Times Cannabis Cup is the world’s preeminent Cannabis festival. Founded in 1987 by Steven Hager, the High Times Cannabis Cup takes place each November in Amsterdam. The event allows judges from around the world to sample and vote for their favorite marijuana strains...
in Amsterdam.
Freedom Fighters of the Year
A partial history:- 1990, Thom Harris
- 1991, Rodger Belknap
- 1992, Elvy Musikka
- 1993, Gatewood GalbraithGatewood GalbraithLouis Gatewood Galbraith is an American lawyer and author from the U.S. state of Kentucky. He has been a perennial candidate for governor of Kentucky as an outspoken proponent of education as well as privacy rights and other civil liberties...
- 1994, Jack HererJack HererJack Herer was an American cannabis activist and the author of The Emperor Wears No Clothes, a book which has been used in efforts to decriminalize cannabis.-Biography:...
- 1999, Gideon Israel
- 2000, Keith StroupKeith StroupKeith Stroup is an attorney and founder of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. After graduating from the University of Illinois in 1965, he enrolled in Georgetown Law School and worked in the office of Illinois Senator Everett Dirksen...
- 2001, Vivian McPeak
- 2002, Shawn Heller
- 2003, Valerie and Mike Corral
- 2004, Eddy Lepp
- 2005, Alex Whiteplume
- 2006, Richard Lee
- 2007, Tommy ChongTommy ChongTommy Chong is a Canadian-American comedian, actor, writer, director, activist, and musician who is well known for his stereotypical portrayals of hippie-era stoners...
- 2009, Rick Simpson
- 2010, Dale Gieringer
- 2011, Debbie Goldsberry
According to Steven Hager's myspace blog:
John Howell hired me as High Times executive editor around 1987. For amusement I started writing a column called "Ed Hassle" in the news section. The column was a parody of "Ed AngerEd AngerEd Anger is a pseudonymous opinion columnist in the Weekly World News, a former U.S. tabloid, now a web site. In addition to weekly columns, a collected book of his writings, Let's Pave the Stupid Rainforests & Give School Teachers Stun Guns: And Other Ways to Save America was published in 1996.-...
," a hilarious right-winger who was appearing in the Weekly World News. Ed Anger columns were being read over the airwaves by my favorite deejay, Bill Kelly of WFMU. But instead of being a rightwing lunatic, my Ed Hassle was a hippie fascist who grew pot and believed in alien abductions. I eventually worked the concept into a cartoon strip drawn by Flick Ford. One day High Times got an invitation to the Hash Bash in Ann Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor, MichiganAnn 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...
. Apparently the event was about to die, and some local stoners were hoping High Times could help resurrect it. Ed Hassle made a plea for all marijuana activists to attend the Hash Bash in Ann Arbor to hold a convention to create a national group called the Freedom Fighters. Hassle suggesting bringing drums and dressing in Colonial-style outfits. (This was a publicity ploy for news cameras and opened the door for interviews about hemp in Colonial times.) My band, The Soul Assassins, drove to the event in a psychedelic bus, marched into the Diag at the University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe 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...
with a fife and drum corps of psychedelic pirates. That night, the Soul Assassins performed to a standing room crowd at a local bar. The Freedom Fighters organized free campgrounds for many rallies and provided free food to activists. The biggest supporter was a West Virginian named Rodger Belknap, who was also the first person to be voted Freedom Fighter of the Year. Eventually it became clear the group had been targeted for surveillance and many leaders dropped out while others were railroaded into jail with unusually harsh sentences, including Rodger Belknap.
After the Freedom Fighters were about a year old, I decided to drop the "Ed Hassle" persona because it had gotten confused with another High Times columnist, Ed Rosenthal. In order to re-write the history off the origins of the group, I asked my friend Allegra to interview me for my own magazine. Unfortunately, the interview was perceived as signs of a messianic power trip and very quickly led to serious problems. I'd naively set out to throw a party and suddenly found myself in the center of a cultural tidal wave. The pressure got so intense I turned the Freedom Fighter mailing list over to NORML, and that was the end of the Freedom Fighters and also the end of any attempts at political activism or organizing.