cannabisnews.com: Hash Bash Organizers Hope To Increase Turnout





Hash Bash Organizers Hope To Increase Turnout
Posted by CN Staff on April 01, 2005 at 12:06:23 PT
By Rachel Kruer, Daily Staff Reporter
Source: Michigan Daily
Michigan -- The tradition of Hash Bash in recent years has been up in smoke. In recent years, dwindling numbers of attendees have characterized the event. In 2003, Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Diane Brown said that only 650 people attended the rally for the legalization of marijuana. In previous years, the number had been in the thousands.
This year, Hash Bash will be organized by the University chapter of National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws — an organization that seeks to decriminalize marijuana offenses and hopes to bring Hash Bash’s attendance back to what it was in previous years.Josh Soper, an LSA junior and director of the University chapter of NORML, said he hopes to increase attendance, but that the purpose behind Hash Bash remains to educate people about marijuana reforms.This year, NORML has arranged for a lineup of speakers and live bands from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the Diag. Bands Hazy Jane and Budda Fulla Rymez will open as the live entertainment.Political science Prof. Albert Price, who will speak at noon tomorrow, said he will focus on how the punitive ramification are more harmful than the effects of marijuana.“At some point, the cost supercedes at the point. Young adults are the most likely to be hurt by policy than the drug,” he said.Price added that Alaska voted to legalize marijuana as evidence that even a state dominated by a Republican legislature condoned this.Even amidst the celebration, marijuana laws will be enforced. Those visibly under the influence of marijuana can receive punishment of 90 days in jail and a $100 fine, Brown said. Possession of marijuana is a criminal offense punishable with up to one year in jail or a $2,000 fine.These regulations are set by state laws that the University follows and that DPS enforces. Off campus, however, local laws regarding marijuana are much more lax. Within the city limits of Ann Arbor, a marijuana violation merits a $25 fine.“We discourage people from smoking on the Diag,” Soper said. “It’s not a good idea, considering the discrepancy between University and city ordinances.”Due to the decrease in attendance last year, only 14 Hash Bash participants were issued tickets for legal indiscretions involving open canisters of alcohol and minor in possession citations, and there were six marijuana arrests.Brown said DPS is preparing for more people this year because of the live. She said DPS is specifically preparing for problems that come with massive groups and concerts such as fighting and excessive drinking.Yet most of DPS’s encounters do not involve University students.“This event does not traditionally attract University of Michigan students,” she said. “It attracts people out of Ann Arbor who do not understand our rules and ordinances.”In the past six years, DPS has issued tickets to 212 people at Hash Bash. Out of those citations, Brown said, only four were University students.Around 1 p.m., Monroe Street Fair will host live music from John Sinclair with his group Glowb, The Process, Troubleman, Rootstand, Mary Eyez and other performers.There will also be vendors from whom students can purchase hemp products, innovations in glassware and tie-dyed shirts.Soper said this year the Hash Bash Diag celebration will also be broadcast on NORML’s website in order to reach a broader audience.Note: DPS expects live music to draw greater numbers than last year's 650 at pro-marijuana rally on Diag.Source: Michigan Daily (MI Edu)Author: Rachel Kruer, Daily Staff ReporterPublished: April 01, 2005Copyright: 2005 The Michigan DailyContact: daily.letters umich.eduWebsite: http://www.michigandaily.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/Hash Bashhttp://www.hashbash.com/'High Noon' Leaves Diag Smokinghttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18586.shtmlThe Faded But Still Not Forgotten http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18584.shtmlHash Bashers Know Where The Line Is http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18583.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #22 posted by FoM on April 02, 2005 at 10:11:24 PT
34th Annual Hash Bash to Offer Live Webcast
Thanks ekim!***http://www.live365.com/stations/onlinebands?playBeginning at 11:00 AM on Saturday, April 2nd on the University of Michigan DIAG in Ann Arbor, the 2005 Hash Bash and Monroe Street Fair will feature over six hours of live music and guest speakers on marijuana policy reform topics. Speakers will include Michigan NORML's own Vice President Melody Karr, as well as Professor Albert Price of the University of Michigan - Flint, Scio Township Trustee Charles Ream, John Sinclair, Chef Ra, and Gatewood Galbraith. Live music will include performances by Buddha Fulla Rymez and Hazy Jane on the DIAG, and many others at the Monroe Street Fair. For the first time ever, Hash Bash will be broadcasting a live audio feed to listeners on the Internet. If you can't make it to Hash Bash, we encourage you to tune in to the DIAG broadcast from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM, and from 1:00 PM to 5:30 PM, tune in to the Monroe Street Fair broadcast. Please note that a high-speed Internet connection is required, and that a previously recorded set from the band Fuze will be broadcast during the time leading up to the Bash, making it easy to test on your computer beforehand. Thanks to Joe Purrenhage of onlinebands.com for making this happen. For more information about Hash Bash, including volunteer opportunities and directions, please visit umnorml.org. For more information about the Monroe Street Fair, please visit monroestreetfair.com. New Executive Director & Board Members ElectedAn election was held at our quarterly meeting in Ann Arbor on January 8, 2005 for the position of Executive Director and for four seats on the Board of Directors. The results are as follows: Tim Beck - Executive Director
Melody Karr - Vice President and Director
Adam Brook - Director
Rev. Steve Thompson - Director
Josh Soper - Director Tim Beck was also elected as a Director, but the new Board voted to make the Executive Director position an ex-officio member of the board, creating a new Board seat and eliminating the need for a runoff election to resolve a tie between Rev. Steve Thompson and Josh Soper. Melody Karr was appointed Vice President by Tim Beck and approved by the Board. http://www.minorml.org/
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #21 posted by Hope on April 02, 2005 at 07:36:43 PT
A "scientific" opinion? This is science?
"The marijuana of Cheech and Chong had a THC content of 1 to 5 percent; today's Alaska marijuana is 14 to 18 percent," said John Bobo, a U.S. Department of Transportation official summoned by the Murkowski administration to talk to legislators about the dangerous effects of driving or operating machinery under the influence of modern marijuana."This stuff messes you up, and you have an inability to operate safely," he said.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #20 posted by Hope on April 02, 2005 at 06:54:13 PT
The evidence has shown that there is a problem.
He got that right, for sure!"Part of it is the media doesn't want to acknowledge that there is a problem," Guaneli said. "The evidence has shown that there is a problem."http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~7244~2795052,00.html
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #19 posted by Hope on April 02, 2005 at 06:47:35 PT
"...use among Alaska Natives." ?!!!! RACIST!!
One thing about the debate over HB 74 that stands out to me is that...we...people against prohibition listened to what they had to say,(difficult as it was) yet, at the very same time, I had the feeling that the people who love prohibition did not even hear what the people against the bill had to say. One guy even blurted that he was proud to get to go home and tell people he voted for the bill before he even heard our side out. That says a lot to me.Also, in that article that Mayan posted, it's mentioned that some of the people for the bill are outright racists! "Assistant Attorney General Dean Guaneli said he was bothered by critics of the bill not focusing on one of the administration's chief reasons for pursuing the bill: Increased marijuana use by younger and younger children and higher rates of use among Alaska Natives."That's outrageous! What century is this, for Heaven's sake? The Native American in me screams out against that injustice! The DNA in my being handed down from two officers in the Revolutionary War wants to tar and feather the fascists and send them on a swift boat back to old England!Another thing that infuriates me at the level of their assinineness is their use of the word, "anecdotal". They have taken the heartfelt words of the impassioned American and labeled them worthless in their eyes by slapping the label "Anecdotal" on them. Why isn't the scientist saying, "It's a dirty, dirty drug." anecdotal? Why are Grinspoon's and our scientist's words called anecdotal when their side spews crap like "maybe", "probably" and "might" and that's considered scientific?Where the heck is the Wisdom of Solomon when we need it? Where the heck is the wisdom of Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and Lincoln when we need it?Where the heck is the love of God, liberty, and our fellow man when we need it? 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #18 posted by ekim on April 02, 2005 at 05:42:49 PT
info on web cast
ck MI Norml.org
http://www.minorml.org
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #17 posted by mayan on April 02, 2005 at 05:02:11 PT
Alaska
Marijuana bill ramps up debate on modern drug's potency:
http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~7244~2795052,00.htmlFrom the above linked article...Lester Grinspoon, a Harvard University medical doctor and author of two books on marijuana, told the Senate HESS Committee the Murkowski administration is disingenuous in its claims about today's pot."Marijuana is no more harmful than it was in 1975, when I testified in the Ravin case," Grinspoon said.Grinspoon and others said while marijuana may in fact have a higher THC content, the increased potency translates into people smoking less, taking smaller hits and holding it in their lungs for a shorter period.Unlike alcohol, which people continue to drink well after they're intoxicated, marijuana produces a saturation point at which people tend to stop smoking because they're as high as they want to be, they said."To me, that seems like a good thing, because you have to put less smoke in your lungs," said Jim Welch, an Eagle River resident who said he smoked marijuana for a period of time to relieve multiple sclerosis symptoms.Good old Dr. Grinspoon to the rescue! The asinine prohibitionist argument that claims stronger cannabis is a negative will blow up in their faces.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #16 posted by The GCW on April 02, 2005 at 04:02:55 PT
Neil News.
Neil Young Recovering From Brain Aneurysm http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PEOPLE_NEIL_YOUNG?SITE=COFRI&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #15 posted by mayan on April 01, 2005 at 18:23:01 PT
Unrelated
Deadly Coincidence: School Shootings and Drugged Students:
http://www.michnews.com/artman/publish/article_7662.shtmlYeah, it seems that "Plan Columbia" is going well. Here's another article...Colombia: U.S. soldiers busted with coke:
http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20050401-070731-2263r.htm30 Pounds worth only $25,000? Must be dirt cheap down there!THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...Recent 9/11 Strategy Thoughts from Dr. David Ray Griffin:
http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=2005040111480099710-Page Summary of Paul Thompson's 9/11 Timeline:
http://www.wanttoknow.info/9-11cover-up10pg9/11 Was an Inside Job - A Call to All True Patriots: 
http://www.911sharethetruth.com/
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #14 posted by global_warming on April 01, 2005 at 17:29:14 PT
ot:Art and the Cross
To the naked eye, is it art or obscenity?
By MICHAEL W. HOSKINS
Daily Journal staff writer
mhoskins thejournalnet.comMarch 30, 2005Don’t go covering up or hiding that nude cement statue in the front yard just yet.Indiana law is not clear on whether statues created without clothes are considered obscene and constitute a danger to minors, but legal minds and civil rights advocates say they are more art than obscene.“Just because something is nude doesn’t mean it’s obscene,” said Ken Falk, an attorney for the Indiana Civil Liberties Union. “If that were the case, most Renaissance art would have to be put into back rooms or hidden.”Language in state law defining obscene matter is being cited as the reason an Edinburgh business was told to move about a dozen statues out of public view because of complaints that they are obscene.Owners of White River Truck Repair and Yard Art question whether state law applies to art that anyone can place outside their homes and can be found in museums, school textbooks and children’s movies.Bartholomew County code enforcement officers and sheriff’s deputies told owners the statues were obscene, considered offensive to children and should be moved out of public view, owners said. Located at 11940 U.S. 31 North, the business is across from Edinburgh Premium Outlets near Interstate 65.“It’s not fair to point out our business; and, personally, I don’t find them offensive,” said Ginger Streeval, who owns Yard Art along with two other people. “These aren’t obscene in any way.”Pieces causing complaints are mostly biblical and historical figures, such as angels and ancient warriors, often sculpted without clothes, Streeval said.One statue that has been moved is a 6-foot replica of Michelangelo’s marble statue “David,” which portrays the biblical figure nude. Yard Art also displays the unclothed “Venus di Milo,” which is also depicted in the Disney movie “Hercules.”The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office and county code enforcement department received two complaints about the statues, which owners said have been on display for about three years.The county got involved when at least one nearby resident reported the statues were offensive, said zoning and property standards inspector Frank Butler.“They have nudity … and that should not be in the view of a minor,” Butler said.While he admits the questionable statues are difficult to notice and blend in with other concrete statues, Butler cites language in state law preventing obscene material from being in public where children might see it, he said.According to state law, anything displaying nudity can be considered obscene and harmful for children to see.But the law specifically says something is considered obscene if “considered as a whole, it lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value for minors.”In Johnson County, deputy prosecutor Daylon Welliver chuckled about the situation but said he did not think the complaint warranted criminal review or should be considered a crime.While nudity can be considered a form of obscene matter, the law also spells out the material must be plainly offensive to the community and lack a literary, artistic or educational value for children, he said.If, for example, statues portrayed sexual acts or positions, then the pieces could be considered obscene or pornographic, he said.“I’d think just having a statue that’s so widely recognized as art would be difficult to define as obscene,” he said. “Even if someone didn’t like it, that doesn’t mean it’s a crime.”Welliver said complainants might be able to file a civil action, but he suggested people work out concerns if there’s a problem.Streeval said the business would have moved the statues willingly if the complainant had asked owners and provided a good reason. They previously turned the “David” statue away from the road, she said.Yard Art has dozens of statues and other pieces on the property, Streeval said. They line the front and sides of the building, which faces the mall and a neighboring fast-food restaurant.The statues weigh as much as 500 pounds each, Streeval said. Most are unpainted, but owners try to display at least one painted version of each statue, she said.They import the unpainted statues from a wholesaler and typically paint them inside the building. Depending on the size, prices range from $50 for a smaller angel figurine to $325 for the 500-pound “David.”“Nudity has been recognized as a part of great art for hundreds, if not thousands of years,” ICLU attorney Falk said. “If that’s the standard being used to define obscenity, then that raises some serious constitutional questions.”----Will the cross someday be viewed as indecent?
That cross which is a reminder of where we came from, that cross that symbolically represents the fall of our humanity, and the mark in our bloody history, will every last glimmer of the Light of God be extinguished, by those that have no inner Light?You can fill that void with power and money, but even money, cannot stop the passing of time, even the greatest minds and most powerful people, cannot stop the passage into the great mystery.I hope those that can read this, can find grace and be comforted, for our world is possessed by demons most foul, and these demons have made for us a bed, and succored us into submission.You do not have to question why that dreaded Cannabis Plant is so demonized, for that little plant offers to all the keys to understanding, that little plant, those little skinny leaves, trace the marvels of our creation, and with each living breath, each unexplainable living breath, some of us wrestle and and inspect, those inner portals, that hide and vail that which is hidden, that which cannot be forgotten, that which forever, will be unexplained.Science has no room for the Shamen, the Shamen is dead, but always be assured, that there is a Spirit, and Ghosts that cry in the eternal Night, and it is those cries that cannot be erased or ignored, it is those haunting sounds that will fill all of our eternities, for eternity.I hope that Alabama and Texas and especially Florida enact compassionate Cannabis laws as I hope that as the number of states that come to their compassionate senses, will lead these United States into the Glory that that reflects the passion that has given birth to this wonderful nation.We must end our internal wars, before we can reach out to help the rest of this suffering world.gw
Art
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #13 posted by Hope on April 01, 2005 at 17:15:39 PT
A special country...
Where people could be free...My heart longs...for people to be free.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #12 posted by Hope on April 01, 2005 at 17:10:32 PT
Right now....
It would be so hard for me to have mercy on any of those low life creeps who voted yes.I will not curse them. I will not curse them. I will not curse them. I will not curse them. I must not. I must not. I must not. Of course I won't. I'm getting used to the moronic, inscrutable foolishness of the prohibitionists. I'm feeling calmer. I'm feeling calmer.I am.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #11 posted by Hope on April 01, 2005 at 17:04:49 PT
Spooky
They seem, literally, possessed by something. But what?When you wonder how the witch burnings, the Inquisition, and the Holocaust could have possibly happened...just go and listen to the end of these hearings. It's beyond human understanding. I can't believe that the majority voted that way. It was unreal.I have no faith whatsoever in mankind.It's just a very good thing that I'm not God...or that chamber would have been ....well...I'm not God. They had to be ignorant, sanity ignoring lunatics to vote for this bill. There is something BAD wrong. Really BAD, for them to have voted the way they did in the face of the testimony.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #10 posted by FoM on April 01, 2005 at 17:03:02 PT
Insanity
This is one more reason why I dislike politics so much. Humanity, fairness, caring for what the people really do want seems unimportant to them. I guess we do need to follow the money more then ever.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #9 posted by Hope on April 01, 2005 at 16:57:08 PT
It seems insane!
All the evidence against the bill was overwhelming and of astounding quality. It just seems insane that they voted the way they did. One woman's vote seemed to have guilt in her voice...but she voted yes anyway.That's been the hardest part of our struggle. All the evidence is laid before them. It's overwhelming. And they vote like ignorant morons. It's spooky among other things.I never thought I would ever see the kind of insanity at work that is at work in the prohibition of cannabis.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #8 posted by FoM on April 01, 2005 at 16:35:50 PT
Hope
I haven't listen to it so far because I've been a little busy. I can't believe that we can go backwards like this so easily. What does everyone hate so much about Cannabis?
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #7 posted by Hope on April 01, 2005 at 16:31:24 PT
SB 74 Passed!
Traitors in the Alaskan Senate! TRAITORS!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by FoM on April 01, 2005 at 15:54:05 PT
Hope
Thank you! 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #5 posted by Hope on April 01, 2005 at 15:45:28 PT
Alaska Hearing Continued Today
http://www.ktoo.org/gavel/audio.cfm
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by FoM on April 01, 2005 at 15:18:00 PT
Taylor121
Good luck to you and Texas on Tuesday. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by Taylor121 on April 01, 2005 at 15:14:06 PT
Medical Marijuana Hearing Tuesday in Texas, 
Bill 658 is scheduled for a hearing in the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee on Tuesday, April 5th!TMM has been working with the bills author Representative Elliott Naishtat to identify witnesses to testify at the hearing on behalf of all of us who support the bill and medical marijuana in general. Due to the large volume of other bills scheduled to have hearings in the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, and the delays that have already occurred, both Representative Naishtat and Chairman Keel favor limiting the number of testifying witnesses in order to ensure an expedient hearing for HB 658. A concise and efficient hearing will help to facilitate the chance of the bill's passage through committee and onto the House floor for a vote.As a result we are asking all of our supporters who wish to attend the hearing to respect Representative Naishtat's and Chairman Keel's estimation that the better organized and succinct the favorable testimony, the more likely the bill will be voted for by the committee.If you are interested in submitting written testimony feel free to send it to me and I will present it to the members on your behalf. To watch the hearing as it takes place, please click on http://www.house.state.tx.us/media/welcome.php to find the livestream for the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee and see and listen to it online. This committee usual meets at 2pm or upon adjournment of the House.Furthermore, I urge you to contact (preferably by telephone) the committee members to persuade them to vote in favor of HB 658. Please click HERE (link to our fact sheet) to refer to talking points that may be helpful in your conversations with the committee members staff. For your convenience I have listed the contact information for the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee members below. Please don't hesitate to call or email me or Karen at 512-220-9209 if you have any questions or concerns about calling the committee members.Thank you for your continued support of TMM and for your efforts on behalf of HB 658.Sincerely,Noelle Davis
Executive DirectorRepresentative Terry Keel (R-TX 47th), Chair - (512) 463-0652 Representative Debbie Riddle (R-TX 150th), Vice-Chair - (512) 463-0572 Representative Mary Denny (R-TX 63rd) - (512) 463-0688 Representative Elvira Reyna (R-TX 101st) - (512) 463-0464 Representative Aaron Pena (D-TX 40th) - (512) 463-0426 Representative Terri Hodge (D-TX 100th) - (512) 463-0586 Representative Paul C. Moreno (D-TX 77th) - (512) 463-0638 Representative Juan Escobar (D-TX 43rd) - (512) 463-0666 Representative Richard Raymond (D-TX 42nd) - (512) 463-0558
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by Taylor121 on April 01, 2005 at 15:00:10 PT
War on Drugs
Too much money to be made. Supply and Demand can never be dealt with. Those soldiers have hundreds of thousands of dollars waved in their face. The War on Drugs is a failure.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by dongenero on April 01, 2005 at 12:42:03 PT
not cannabis related but.....
Our country's "noble" efforts in Columbia........
What are we doing there?.........probably a lot more than most people think.BOGOTA, Colombia (Reuters) - Five American soldiers have been arrested for trying to smuggle hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cocaine into the United States on a U.S. military aircraft, the U.S. military said.	 The five unidentified Army personnel were detained on Tuesday and are being held in the United States for "allegedly trying to transport approximately 16 kilograms (35 lb) of cocaine," U.S. Southern Command said in a news release late on Thursday."The Department of Defense and other federal agencies, in close cooperation with the Colombian government, are investigating these charges both in the U.S. and Colombia," Southern Command said.The cocaine could be sold in the United States for $300,000-$500,000.The U.S. Congress has authorized the presence of up to 800 U.S. troops in Colombia to train Colombian soldiers and provide support for the country's war on cocaine and Marxist rebels, as well as up to 600 civilian contractors.The United States has provided Colombia with more than $3 billion in mainly military aid since 2000.The arrests recalled a previous scandal to hit U.S. operations in Colombia. 
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment