Hash Bash is an annual cannabis event held on the University of Michigan campus in

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

, featuring a series of speeches and live performances focus on the goal of legalizing marijuana at the federal, state, and local levels in the United States.

History

The first Hash Bash took place on April 1, 1972, as a reaction to the

Michigan Supreme Court The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is Michigan's court of last resort and consists of seven justices. The Court is located in the Michigan Hall of Justice at 925 Ottawa Street in Lansing, the s ...

's ruling on March 9, 1972, which deemed unconstitutional the law that had been used to convict cultural activist John Sinclair for possessing two marijuana joints. The second annual Hash Bash, in 1973, attracted approximately 3,000 participants, including state representative

Perry Bullard Winston Perry Bullard (September 2, 1942 – October 15, 1998), was a Democratic politician and lawyer in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Bullard was born in Cleveland, Ohio and attended Harvard University. After serving in the United States Navy during t ...

, a proponent of marijuana legalization. Marijuana is openly consumed at the event, and in previous events, there have been few, if any, arrests. Before the state's legalization of recreational cannabis, the penalty for cannabis law violations in Ann Arbor was a $30 fine and $25 court costs for a total of $55, and was a

civil infraction A summary offence or petty offence is a violation in some common law jurisdictions that can be proceeded against summarily, without the right to a jury trial and/or indictment (required for an indictable offence). Canada In Canada, summary offe ...

ticket. The campus falls under state, not city jurisdiction but "for decades, police had in the past exercised discretion and a general tolerance for public marijuana use at the annual Hash Bash. Protesters are commonly seen as consuming cannabis as a form of

civil disobedience Civil disobedience is the active and professed refusal of a citizenship, citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders, or commands of a government (or any other authority). By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be cal ...

, anticipating minimal law enforcement intervention, which was largely the case until the seventh annual event in 1978, when local authorities began arresting participants suspected of using illegal substances. By 1985, attendance at the Hash Bash had dropped to zero, but it soon revived. The 2009 Hash Bash celebrated the legalization of

medical cannabis Medical cannabis, medicinal cannabis or medical marijuana (MMJ) refers to cannabis products and cannabinoid molecules that are prescribed by physicians for their patients. The use of cannabis as medicine has a long history, but has not ...

in Michigan through the Michigan Compassionate Care Initiative in 2008 and was the largest gathering that the event had seen in years, with an estimated 1,600 participants – an increased turnout which the ''Michigan Daily'' attributed to the "wider acceptance of recreational drug use both on campus and across the country". The 2010 Hash Bash had an estimated 5,000 attendees. The 2015 Hash Bash had a record 8,000–15,000 attendees. In 2019, Michigan Governor

Gretchen Whitmer Gretchen Esther Whitmer (; born August 23, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 49th governor of Michigan since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she served in the Michigan House of R ...

celebrated the state's recreational cannabis legalization in a video for Hash Bash attendees, having also attended the event the previous year while running for governor.

Recent and upcoming Hash Bash dates

*2025: 54th annual - April 5 *2024: 53rd annual - April 6 *2023: 52nd annual - April 1 *2022: 51st annual - April 2 *2021: 50th annual - April 3 (virtual event due to coronavirus) *2020: 49th annual - April 4 (canceled due to coronavirus) *2019: 48th annual - April 6 *2018: 47th annual - April 7 *2017: 46th annual - April 1 *2016: 45th annual - April 2 *2015: 44th annual - April 4 *2014: 43rd annual - April 5 *2013: 42nd annual - April 6 *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

References

External links

Official Site of the Annual Hash Bash - Ann Arbor, MichiganMonroe Street Fair
official site
"Pro-pot event gets touch of Hollywood"
- Geoff Larcom for the ''Ann Arbor News,'' April 8, 2007. {{Cannabis events Cannabis events in the United States Cannabis in Michigan Culture of Ann Arbor, Michigan Recurring events established in 1972 1972 establishments in Michigan 1972 in cannabis Spring (season) in the United States