Thousands attend 40th annual Hash Bash in Ann Arbor

[Faygo Kid]

Source: Detroit Free Press

Starting with chants of “DEA, GO AWAY!” and “FREE THE WEED!” the 40th annual Hash Bash drew an estimated 6,000 people to the University of Michigan campus at noon today.

The event is an outdoor celebration of marijuana smoking led by an hour of speeches that promote legalizing pot. But this year’s talk included much about the need to safeguard access to the drug for medical marijuana patients.

“We are going to have major threats this year to our law,” said speaker Chuck Ream, 64, of Ann Arbor. Ream led the fight for Ann Arbor’s medical marijuana ordinance in 2004.

“Now we have to fight back and win,” Ream said, referring to threats by some state legislators to amend the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act. . .

Read more: http://www.freep.com/article/20110402/NEWS06/110402012/Thousands-attend-40th-annual-Hash-Bash-Ann-Arbor?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

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I was there in the early years; prefer a nice Cabernet more recently. However, threats to marijuana ordinances by the GOP you know,the gang for whom "jobs" are at the top - right), are serious and deserve opposition. That said,

[Ezlivin]

1. I wish I could have been in attendance

But Texas isn't progressive enough to host one of its own.

Hell, we're busy passing laws to keep people from voting and to force women to sit through anti-abortion lectures. Sigh.

[madrchsod]

2. hmmm.... black ball hashish from nepal.....

[Faygo Kid]

3. I don't know about that, but this brings back memories of Amsterdam in the early '70s. . .

I went to Europe for a couple months fall of '73 (college student). I visited Amsterdam and scored a nice hunk of hash in the city park (it wasn't hard to do - far from it). I returned via train (Eurorail pass) to visit my good friends in Bavaria. It was toward the end of the trip and I was almost broke. Young, long-haired American with a backpack and about 15 bucks in his pocket. I was profiled, although that term wasn't used then. The German police took me into a back rail car, and I was strip searched. I mean I got nekkid; they checked the crack in my ass, the tubing in my backpack, everything. Every inch, every seam, every orifice.

Had a feeling about that when I boarded the train, so I had crammed the hunk into a matchbox and stuck it into the ashtray next to my seat. So I was clean for the inspection, of course, and they let me go. I went back to my seat, put the matchbox in my pocket, headed down to Berchtesgaden and a good and lively time with much conviviality was had by all.

Hadn't thought of that in a long time, but will never forget it.

[freshwest]

4. LOL! “FREE THE WEED!” Love your Mr. Natural pic there. Looks like they had a good time.

[amandabeech]

5. Back in the day, you got high going to class.

That is if you could actually make your way through the peaceful throngs.

Then state Sen. Perry Bullard, who pushed the local option law through the leg, would light up on the top step of the grad library to start things off.

The cops would stay off the diag unless they had to go into the throng to take someone to the EMS stations on the sidelines. The ambulances just lined up, ready to go off to University Hospital if someone got a little too much of something.

Ann Arbor was, and still is, a great place.

[david13]

6. I would say the campus is a good place, not a great place. When

I was there, there were very few students who spent much time smoking weed, or 'partying' as far as that went. The school was portrayed in those days, at least, as "nose to the grindstone".
Serious, intelligent students.
I remember a smoke in or some such thing, that attracted a few people, not many, but many of whom were not students, but 'local yokels', as I always call the native population anywhere.
Ann Arbor did seem to have a large cadre of non student types, in fact many of whom harbored some animosity toward the students.
And just a few short years ago, I perchance happened back there for a brief sojourn. Not much, maybe nothing seem to have changed.
And ... of course, it started to snow. It even fooled me at first, I said, what is this white stuff, falling, something off the trees? Oh!
dc