When I first moved to Michigan in the mid 80’s I worked in Ann Arbor and quickly learned what a cool town it was in many ways. Of course the University of Michigan has a big influence on the town, but it also has some counterculture history. The Hash Bash started back in 1972. A group along with John Lennon had come to town for a freedom rally to bring attention to poet and activist John Sinclair. He had been sentenced to ten years in prison because he was caught with two joints.
As with everything these days the pandemic affected this year’s Hash Bash, last year and this year it was mostly a virtual event, but a smoke in protest was still planned at the Diag. Adam Brook who is a previous organizer of the event, says “The Annual smoke in was a protest of marijuana laws, including the prohibition against smoking in public.”