John Sinclair, the inspiration for Ann Arbor’s Hash Bash, dead at 82

John Sinclair, the poet whose imprisonment for marijuana inspired the start of Ann Arbor’s long-running annual Hash Bash in the 1970s, has died.

He was 82.

Sinclair’s passing occurred on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, at a Detroit hospital, merely four days prior to his scheduled appearance at the esteemed 53rd-annual marijuana rally on the University of Michigan Diag.

Sinclair faced health challenges in recent years, requiring him to rely on a wheelchair while residing in Detroit.

However, his dedication to Hash Bash prevailed, as he continued to make appearances at the event until 2023.

Heart failure was the official cause of death reported.

Sinclair’s passing will be a huge focus at Hash Bash, which starts at noon Saturday, April 6 2024.

The annual marijuana celebration and smoke fest traces its roots back to April 1972, a mere four months after renowned musician John Lennon, alongside other notable figures, descended upon the town for a freedom rally dedicated to Sinclair.

At the time, Sinclair was serving a prison sentence of 10 years merely for possessing two joints.

Read More Here @ MLive

MLive: A history of Hash Bash and marijuana activism in Ann Arbor

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Ten for Two – Part 1

Ten for Two – Part 2

John Sinclair first emerged out of his small-town Michigan background to forge a legendary course through the 1960s as a cultural activist, manager of the MC5, and Chairman of the White Panther Party. An early victim of the War on Drugs who faced 20 years to life in prison for giving two joints to an undercover policewoman, Sinclair served 29 months of a 9-1/2-to-10-year sentence before his legal victory on appeal changed the law for good. The long campaign waged by Sinclair culminated in a massive John Sinclair Freedom Rally on December 10th 1971, headlined by John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Stevie Wonder, Bob Seger, Phil Ochs, Allen Ginsberg and Bobby Seale that resulted in Sinclairs release from prison three days later.

Real Questions from Real Calls

Question: I smoked marijuana and consumed marijuana edibles at the hash bash in the U of M diag.  Is that legal??

No. It is unlawful to smoke marijuana in public places.

333.27954 Scope of act; unauthorized activities with marihuana and marihuana accessories; limitations; application of privileges, rights, immunities, and defenses under other marihuana laws; employer rights; property owner rights.

Sec. 4. 1. This act does not authorize:

(e) consuming marihuana in a public place or smoking marihuana where prohibited by the person who owns, occupies, or manages the property, except for purposes of this subdivision a public place does not include an area designated for consumption within a municipality that has authorized consumption in designated areas that are not accessible to persons under 21 years of age;

Read the Law

https://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/mcl/pdf/mcl-Initiated-Law-1-of-2018.pdf

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