Many cannabis icons have expanded their respective fields of expertise and fame, and today’s news features an announcement that Willie Nelson and his wife Annie Nelson are releasing a cannabis cookbook later this year, with an official title of Willie & Annie Nelson’s Cannabis Cookbook.

Tagged as “mouthwatering recipes and the high-flying stories behind them,” the cookbook is slated to release on Nov. 12. “In the Nelson family’s first ever cookbook, we’re cooking with good vibes only. Drawn from their favorite meals on nationwide tours, at the ranch, at home, and in their favorite cities along the way, these recipes have stories to tell—and what better way to enjoy a good meal than with a high-flying tale and a relaxing buzz?” the description from publisher Simon & Schuster stated.

The book will span 256 pages with recipes from many inspirations. “Each recipe provides a cannabis kick to ease the mind as much as the body, making their cookbook an exciting, comforting, and lively way to dive into their story, as they draw from meals shared with family, friends, and fans alike,” the description continues. Classic recipes such as buffalo wings, chocolate cake, and fried chicken will be included, alongside cannabis-infused ingredients such as “cannabutter, finishing oil, simply syrups, sugars, salts, and tinctures.”

Willie Nelson has penned two other books that became New York Times bestsellers, including Willie: An Autobiography (1988) and The Facts Of Life And Other Dirty Jokes (2003). Additionally, he has written forewords for Farm Aid: A Song for America (2005), and authored or co-authored other books such as The Tao of Willie: A Guide to Happiness in Your Heart (2007), On the Clean Road Again: Biodiesel and the Future of the Family Farm (2007), A Tale Out of Luck (2008), Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die: Musings from the Road (2013), It’s a Long Story: My Life (2016), Pretty Paper (2016), Willie Nelson’s Letters to America (2021), Me and Sister Bobbie: True Tales of the Family Band (2020), Sister, Brother, Family: An American Childhood in Music (2021), Me And Paul: Untold Stories of a Fabled Friendship (2022), and his most recent book, Energy Follows Thought: The Stories Behind My Songs (2023).

Nelson just passed his 91st birthday, but shows no signs of slowing down. He recently performed at the Stagecoach Festival this past April, and will be appearing for one performance with Chris Stapleton on July 27 in Seattle, Washington. He’s going on tour with Bob Dylan for the Outlaw Music Festival Tour, which begins at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre in Georgia on June 21 and travels through North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California, Idaho, Washington, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Michigan, and ending at the BankNH Pavilion in New Hampshire on Sept. 20. Select dates and destinations will also include special performances by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, John Mellencamp, Billy Strings, Brittney Spencer, Celisse, and Southern Avenue.

Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, and Neil Young founded a benefit concert called Farm Aid in 1985, which helps farmers thrive and promotes access to good, locally grown food.  Farm Aid also hosts a live concert annually to help celebrate and raise money for this mission, which is set to return this September but has not yet officially been announced. Currently the lineup includes Willie Nelson & Family, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews & Time Reynolds, and Margo Price.

Nelson’s discography is chock full of albums and collaborations, with his 75th album The Border just recently announced in March for a release on May 31, 2024.

Nelson’s cannabis brand, WILLIE’s REMEDY, originally launched in 2015. “This is a culmination of Willie’s vision, and his whole life,” said brand spokesperson Michael Bowman at the time. “I’m not sure any of us could have predicted how fast the dominoes would start falling once they started falling [in terms of legalisation].” Now WILLIE’s REMEDY is available in a variety of locations, including Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Washington. The product lineup has grown over time as well, and now includes pre-rolls, vape cartridges, flowers, and edibles.

Most recently in November 2023, the brand expanded to being offered in a variety of dispensaries in Michigan as well, in partnership with Michigan-based Aardvark Industrees. “This model is twofold in its purpose—first to help meet the expected demand of the product and, secondly, to support small independent growers in the state,” said Aardvark Industrees partner Hilary Dulany. “By working with smaller growers, we can ensure that the product we bring to market is truly Willie-worthy while being able to pivot with market demand.”

Although Nelson told Associated Press in 2019 that he was no longer smoking cannabis, but still consuming through other methods. “I have abused my lungs quite a bit in the past, so breathing is a little more difficult these days and I have to be careful,” Nelson said.

The post Willie and Annie Nelson Announce Cannabis Cookbook first appeared on High Times.

The post Willie and Annie Nelson Announce Cannabis Cookbook appeared first on Paradise Found.

On Thursday, “Stoner of the Century” Snoop Dogg, 52, announced that he’s quitting “smoking” in a post that practically broke the internet. But is it an announcement that he’s given up pot, or just a hugely successful stunt?

After trying weed in “the seventies” to smoking blunts and copious amounts of bud for a solid 30 years—his name became synonymous with the plant, and he’s grown close to High Times Magazine. Most people received his message warmly, and wished him on his new journey.

“After much consideration & conversation with my family, I’ve decided to give up smoke,” Snoop posted on Instagram, Twitter, and his other social media channels. “Please respect my privacy at this time.”

“I’m giving up smoke,” he added in the caption.

As stoners struggle to cope with a new existential crisis involving the top stoner, it’s likely Snoop will continue to support cannabis despite calling it quits for the time being. High Times posted four issues of the magazine with Snoop on the cover, calling him “Stoner of the Century.”

“You’ll always have a seat at the sesh whether you’re smoking or not and will forever hold a place of honor on Mount Kushmore,” the post continued. “It may feel like the end of an era, but it’s just a new chapter in the book of Snoop. You’ve got our support and respect.”

Grammy Award-winning rapper Queen Latifah commented on his Instagram post, writing simply “We love you.”

T-Pain, who recently released the music video for his track featuring Snoop Dogg, “That’s How We Ballin,” issued a disclaimer on X, formerly Twitter: “This video was filmed before @SnoopDogg stopped smoking.” Snoop is smoking weed in the video, which was presumably shot months ago.

“Stay strong Unc #support,” T-Pain wrote.

Some Instagram users were left confused, however. “Define… smoke,” actor Lamorne Morris wrote in response to the post, while user @ambie02 asked, “Is it April Fool’s Day?” USA Today reports.

But after all that, some X users pointed out some unusual details, and it turns out that the “smoke” Snoop was actually giving up was smoke stoves, and he’s behind the Solo Stove, the “world’s most popular smokeless fire pit.”

Well played, Snoop. Almost everyone fell for it.

Snoop Dogg’s Stoner Persona Begins

Snoop explained many times before that he’s been smoking for decades, getting his first hit when he was only eight or nine years old.

“The first time I got high off marijuana was in the seventies, with one of my uncles,” said Snoop told Esquire in 2008. “They had these little roaches on the table—these part-way-smoked marijuana cigarettes—and there was some Schlitz Malt Liquor Bull. I went in there and sipped the Schlitz, and my uncle asked me did I wanna hit that roach. And I was like, “Yeah.” He put it on the roach clip for me and lit it up, and I hit that motherfucker. I was about eight or nine years old.”

The way Snoop was introduced to blunts is now part of entertainment lore—similarly to the way The Beatles were introduced to joints by Bob Dylan. The Citizen reports that Snoop has been smoking blunts for about 30 years, after  Snoop said he smoked his first blunt with the one and only Tupac Shakur.

“I smoked my first blunt with Tupac,” Snoop told Howard Stern on The Howard Stern Show in 2018. “I’d never smoked a blunt before. I was smoking joints… I said, ‘Hmm, this sh*t tastes magical!’ 

“[Smoking weed] is a bridge, Howard…” Snoop said on the show. “I’ve met so many people and established so many relationships over a joint.”

Snoop’s many pursuits in cannabis include launching Leafs by Snoop in November 2015, one of the first celebrity cannabis brands to arrive before everyone else jumped on the bandwagon. 

Part of these ventures in cannabis included edibles. In collaboration with TSUMo Snacks, Snoop Dogg is launching Snazzle Os, a new line of cannabis-infused, onion-flavored O-shaped chips, to debut at Hall of Flowers and MedMen in California in early October 2022.

Snoop Dogg announced in December 2022 that legendary West Coast hip-hop platform  Death Row Records was entering the cannabis game with Death Row Cannabis. 

Most recently though, Snoop recently announced his product launch with Martha Stewart of their Best Buds Bags which are upscale bags with a slot to hold a lighter.

A few other icons of weed have taken a similar turn, with personal relationships with family in mind. Woody Harrelson said he gave up pot several years ago, but returned to the fold several years later, thanks to being reintroduced to it by Willie Nelson. Last March, Kevin Smith, also usually a major smoker, said he was taking a break from smoking bud as well.

The post Snoop Dogg Announces He’s Quitting Smoking Pot, Or Did He? appeared first on High Times.

The post Snoop Dogg Announces He’s Quitting Smoking Pot, Or Did He? appeared first on Paradise Found.

Country cannabis outlaw and icon Willie Nelson entered the Michigan cannabis market, debuting his cannabis brand in the state last week.

Michigan is the eighth state so far to sell flower from the singer-songwriter’s exclusive cannabis brand, Willie’s Reserve, which will be available at all Puff locations and several other dispensaries across the state. 

Nelson has earned his name in the cannabis world after decades of support. Now at 90 years old, Nelson has attributed cannabis—a secret to a long life—as a main driving force in quitting cigarettes and alcohol, his lifetime battles with addiction. He’s ready to share his cannabis brand, now in Michigan, which is something that he can truly stand behind.

Willie’s Reserve is working with Lansing, Michigan-based Aardvark Industrees to supply dispensaries with the flower. The strains are potent, ranging from 24% to 30% THC, with names such as Cousin Strawberry G (Cousin Larry x Strawberry Cough) or Hitman OG (OG Kush x Unknown Hybrid Indica). Details about Willie’s Reserve-specific strains in the area have not yet been released. The brand sends a variety of pre-rolls, eighths, and quarter jars, among other products. You can check the website to find where Aardvark Industrees cannabis can be found.

“This model is twofold in its purpose—first to help meet the expected demand of the product and, secondly, to support small independent growers in the state,” Hilary Dulany, an Aardvark Industrees partner, said in a statement. “By working with smaller growers, we can ensure that the product we bring to market is truly Willie-worthy while being able to pivot with market demand.”

Aardvark Industrees is also handling local operations of Cheech’s Stash, a brand created by comedian and actor Cheech Marin, one-half of the duo Cheech & Chong.

Crain’s calls Michigan the second largest cannabis market in the United States, based on Headset research.

Starting Oct. 25, Willie’s Reserve will be available at 15 dispensaries statewide, including Stone Depot in Jackson, Green Stem in Niles, Verts Neighborhood Dispensary in Traverse City, Mood Center Line in Center Line, Planet 420 in Flint, Endo in Adrian, and all off Puff locations in Bay City, Traverse City, Hamtramck, Kalamazoo, Madison Heights, Monroe, Oscoda, River Rouge, Sturgis, and Utica.

“We’re drawn to brands that are also pioneers and cannabis risk-takers,” Dulany said. “We want the brands we grow for and work with to be aligned with us personally and professionally.”

The Spread of Willie’s Reserve

Nelson launched Willie’s Reserve in 2015, starting out with simple labeling and stock tins. Building on a long career of singing about and advocating for cannabis use, Willie’s Reserve represents “a culmination of [Nelson’s] vision, and his whole life,” according to company spokesman Michael Bowman.

In 2016, Nelson opened shop in three states: Washington, Colorado, and Washington. And it wasn’t long until Willie’s Reserve started appearing on dispensary shelves in Oregon and Las Vegas, Nevada. In October, 2017, Nelson announced his cannabis line was headed for California after the passage of Prop. 64, opening the doors for the largest state cannabis market in the U.S. at the time.

Nelson was interviewed by High Times in 2005, along with his old pal Keith Stroup, founder of NORML, and even Bob Dylan made a quick cameo appearance during the interview.

“Yeah, I knew I was killing myself with cigarettes, and I knew I was really putting myself in danger with drinking so much, so somewhere along the way I decided, ‘Wait a minute! You know, do what you can do’,” Nelson told High Times. “In the early years, I drank all the time. Mainly before pot. Up until then, I was into whiskey and uppers. You know, that’s the deal. Truck drivers had the bennies when they made those LA turnarounds, and all that stuff was going around. All the guitar players had it.”

Nelson also admitted that you can’t have too much of a good thing.

“Moderation is always the key, even for pot,” he said in 2005. “You can overdo pot. And it’s not for the kids…. After they get 18, 21 years old, they’re going to try whatever they’re gonna try…”

Before the launch of Willie’s Reserve, Nelson used to grind up all of his weed, regardless of variety or strain, and store his ground up mixture in a large tin.

Nelson is co-founder of Farm Aid, a nonprofit organization that raises millions of dollars to promote family-owned farms, his own version of Live Aid. Truth be told, Nelson has spent a great deal of this time during his career supporting farmers.

Nelson’s son, in the band Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, released their own song aptly named “High Times” and is heavily involved in the cannabis side of business with his family. Catch their cannabis, now available throughout Michigan.

The post Willie Nelson’s Cannabis Arrives at Dispensaries in Michigan appeared first on High Times.

The post Willie Nelson’s Cannabis Arrives at Dispensaries in Michigan appeared first on Paradise Found.

The White House is putting a new meaning to its name. A white substance found in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue reportedly tested positive for cocaine, according to a preliminary field test, The Guardian reports. From fast food chain bathrooms to childhood bedrooms over Christmas, the infamous “white powder” (and we’re not talking about snow) tends to show up where authorities, whether it’s the federal government or someone’s parents, are going to make a stink about it. This time it landed in the Executive Mansion.

The U.S. Secret Service is investigating how the drugs got into the President’s home. Mind you, although Biden may be open-minded to psychedelic research, before you start any rumors, the alleged cocaine was found in a reference library “in an area accessible to tour groups, not in any particular West Wing office,” The Associated Press reports. So, most likely, some tourist ballsy (or stupid) enough to snort a line in the White House is responsible rather than anyone in the federal branch of government. 

The discovery of the substance led to an elevated security alert and a brief evacuation of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue after authorities discovered it during a routine inspection. At the time of its discovery, President Joe Joe Biden was at Camp David, a country retreat for presidents hidden in the woods of Maryland. The president and first lady Jill Biden returned to the White House on Tuesday morning shortly after the discovery. 

A spokesman for the Secret Service, Anthony Guglielmi, told The Washington Post that there is “an investigation into the cause and manner” of how the substance entered the White House. Authorities note that it did not pose a threat. Another official familiar with the investigation said that the amount found was of small quality. So, anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of drug use can deduce that the alleged cocaine was for personal use, not distribution. This gives credibility to the explanation that a tourist probably thought it would be cool (but dangerous) to do some white lines in the White House.

If so, it’s certainly not the first time a civilian used a visit to the White House as an opportunity to get high. The British actor Erkan Mustafa said he did a line of cocaine and smoked some cannabis while visiting the presidential resident during first lady Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” anti-drugs campaign, The Guardian reports. Considering that The War on Drugs was a generally minor component of federal law-enforcement efforts until Ronald Reagan’s presidency, in part fueled by Nancy’s “Just Say No” campaign, which was a privately funded effort to educate children on the dangers of drug use, it’s hard to be too mad at Mustafa for seeking the thrill of doing drugs in the White House at the time (although please do not try it yourself, we don’t want you to go to prison). The feds have locked up enough people for drugs; after Reagan moved into the White House in 1981, his focus on drug penalties led to increased incarcerations for nonviolent drug offenses, from 50,000 in 1980 to 400,000 in 1997.

Iconic stoner Snoop Dogg said he’d smoked weed in a bathroom in 2013, and fellow famous cannabis enthusiast Willie Nelson smoked a joint on the White House roof during the presidency of Jimmy Carter. 

Late last year, Biden announced he will pardon people with federal convictions for simple possession of cannabis in addition to directing General Merrick B. Garland and Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra to begin the process of reviewing the classification of cannabis at the federal level. As a reminder, according to the Feds, the branch of government associated with the White House, cocaine is a Schedule II drug, while cannabis is still Schedule I. Meaning, despite all we know about the benefits of marijuana, under federal law, it’s more dangerous than white lines. 

The post U.S. Secret Service Investigating Cocaine Reportedly Found in White House appeared first on High Times.

The post U.S. Secret Service Investigating Cocaine Reportedly Found in White House appeared first on Paradise Found.

According to Temescal Wellness Director of Retail and Customer Engagement, Sian Leininger, this honors both cannabis culture as well as employees. “4/20 is a day to show appreciation, love and respect for cannabis and its power to help amplify the health and happiness that people experience in their daily lives,” Leininger said in a press statement. “For us, it’s a day to celebrate our employees, whose passion, knowledge and true dedication inspires their unparalleled service to our customers and our community all of the other days of the year.”

The paid holiday extends to retail employees, as well as production facilities and corporate offices as well. Leininger added that closing up shop on one of the biggest days of the year isn’t as important as the wellbeing of their employees. “One of our core company values is wellness—and that means the wellness of our customers, our community, and our entire team,” said Leininger. “While 4/20 is one of our most profitable days, we hope making it a paid holiday off for our team elevates it as a day for everyone to celebrate cannabis and the community around it.”

To supplement the April 20 holiday closure, Temescal Wellness is offering various price offers and “its most comprehensive menu to date” throughout the month of April.

According to a 2022 sales report from Akerna, cannabis sales were high during the entire week and weekend leading up to the unofficial holiday. Last year 4/20 landed on a Wednesday, and while that day did see the highest amount of money collected from sales between April 15-20, sales from Friday, April 15, 2022 were a close second. The data company also recorded that sales overall in 2022 were less than that of 2021.

This year, 420 is gearing up to be another massive celebration of the plant. Many events are returning, some for the first time since the pandemic hit. 4/20 at Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco will not only be returning in full swing, but it’s also live streaming the event for those who can’t attend in person (for a fee). The Mile High 420 Festival returns to Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado on April 20 as well. The National Cannabis Festival will be held at the RFK Festival Grounds in Washington, D.C. on April 22. Even Willie Nelson, who’s turning 90 this year on April 29, is holding a one-of-a-kind concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California that features not just him, but a massive cast of musicians.

April 20 has gone from underground, “unofficial” holiday to actual holiday over the past few years, as medical and recreational legalization has spread throughout the country. Like many other holidays, such as Saint Patrick’s Day or Christmas, the origin of 420 has become a legend. There are many variations of its origin and who was involved, but most believe that students of San Rafael High School in San Rafael, California (referred to as the 420 Waldos) coined the term to secretly communicate a meet-up time to smoke cannabis at the campus statue of Louis Pasteur. 

High Times Magazine Editor-in-Chief Ellen Holland went to check out the statue last year, but the statue was in storage until campus construction was completed. Her 420 pilgrimage of sorts led her to a few 4/20 parties as she detailed her journey in her article “Finding 420.”

Do you think that April 20 should be a paid holiday for everyone who works in the cannabis industry? How would you choose to celebrate if you got the day off? Let us know in the comments!

The post April 20 Becomes a Paid Holiday for Employees at a Massachusetts Cannabis Company appeared first on High Times.

The post April 20 Becomes a Paid Holiday for Employees at a Massachusetts Cannabis Company appeared first on Paradise Found.

By Steve Bloom

“The bus was busted!” HIGH TIMES Executive Editor John Holmstrom informed me as I walked into the office, only hours before my train to Toledo was scheduled to leave. It was March 28th—just four days before the Hash Bash, the main event on the spring Hemp Tour. I was planning to catch up with the bus in Toledo, Ohio, then hitch a ride to Lansing, Michigan, for a rally on March 30.

“What happened?” I asked. John had spoken to Ben Masel, the Hemp Tour’s primary organizer. “They tried to search the bus in Bowling Green [Ohio]. Someone was arrested and they towed the bus away,” John explained. “That’s all I know.”

The white Hemp Tour school bus had made the rounds during the previous fall’s Hemp Tour.

It wasn’t exactly psychedelic, but it certainly stood out. I was worried that the bust would grind the three-month Hemp Tour to a halt. I was also concerned that one of my friends had been arrested. With this sketchy information in mind, I left the office, walked over to Grand Central Station, and boarded my train. Next stop, Toledo.

March 30

Before leaving, I call a number in Toledo that was given to me by Doug McVey, who along with Rick Pfrommer and Debbie Goldsberry (one of the Hemp Tour’s key coordinators) wrote up the Hemp Tour ’90 Organizer’s Manual. A woman named Lara answers and promises that someone from the Tour will meet me at the train station when I arrive at 7 AM. I find that hard to believe. But believe it or not, a familiar white VW van is waiting for me as I walk out of the Toledo station that rainy morning. Ben is driving, and Monica, Shan, and Kevin are crowded into the back. Sort of a guest of honor, I’m given the passenger seat.

I quickly learn that the bus is in the possession of Debbie and members of Red Fly Nation, a hot new band from Kentucky that joined the tour in Lexington a week ago. But there’s another problem: The bus won’t run. Fortunately, Amazin’ Dave (from last year’s HIGH TIMES psychedelic bus trip to Ann Arbor) is on the scene, fixing the transmission so the bus can at least make it to Ann Arbor by the 1st.

So what happened in Bowling Green? Shan Clark, a veteran of the fall Tour, explains: “We had to park pretty far away from the rally, near a school. A cop named Cowboy, who wears a cowboy hat around Bowling Green, watched us unloading our material. Paul [Troy] was asleep on the bus while the rally was going on, and two cops knocked on the door at about 2:45 PM. They said they were coming on the bus. Paul said, ‘No, you’re not. I’m afraid you need a search warrant.’ They threw him out of the bus, onto the ground, and handcuffed him—when we saw him, he had a bloody nose and his hands were purple from the cuffs. They impounded the bus and then went ahead with a search. When we got to the tow yard the next day, the bus was trashed. They ransacked our bus, went through all our bags, and found two seeds. That’s been the low point so far.” Paul was freed on $100 bail (he pleaded no contest and accepted a year’s probation); the bus was fined $10 for a crack in the windshield and charged $50 for the tow. As far as the rally on the campus of Bowling Green State University was concerned, 500 people came to hear the news about how hemp can save the world and why marijuana should be legalized.

As we drive north to East Lansing for today’s rally, the rain subsides. Somehow, Ben finds Valley Court Park, where the rally is being held. Large black-and-white banners proclaiming HEMP FOR THE OVERALL MAJORITY OF EARTH’S PAPER * FIBER * FUEL * FOOD * PAINT * VARNISH * MEDICINE AND TO LIVE LONGER, OR THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT-CHOOSE ONE and the simpler HEMP FOR VICTORY (as well as a huge American flag) are already hanging from a baseball cage. These signs can only mean one thing: Jack Herer is here.

The burly, gruff-voiced author of The Emperor Wears No Clothes preceded our arrival by half an hour. His team, which includes Maria Farrow, Willie, Nelson, J.S. and Brenda, quickly posted the signs and are already selling books, stickers, and hemp clothing. In a particularly impassioned fashion, Shan introduces Jack to the spring break crowd. Waving a copy of The Reign of Law, which was printed on hemp paper, Jack ignites sparks with this fiery commentary: “We only have to be committed to the ideal that no human being on earth will ever go to prison again for a natural substance. People aren’t aware that the government has outlawed vegetables. There should be no laws against natural things. We have to drive a stake through the heart of prohibitionism.”

NORML’S National Director, Don Fiedler, also speaks, as do Ben and several locals. A band named 47 Tyme follows the speakers. This causes a problem. Seems that just beyond the park is a senior citizen’s residence. After receiving a few calls about the noise, the police decide to make their presence felt. Ben engages in conversation with them, then is told that someone has to accept the charge of disturbing the peace. Like a good Hemp Tour trooper, Ben takes the fall instead of the local organizers. He’s driven to the stationhouse, pays a $25 fine, and returns to the rally. No big deal. But it’s another reminder that there’s always a price to pay in the rally business.

March 31

It’s Hash Bash weekend, and Freedom Fighters from all over the country are beginning to converge on Ann Arbor. The first sight we see when we leave our hotels is a shiny purple bus in the parking lot. We decide to investigate. Inside is the West Virginia Freedom Fighter contingent, led by Roger the shaggy-bearded driver. Kind bud they call “hackweed” is being passed around. A coughing siege ensues. Now we know why they call it hackweed.

The morning papers bring good news. “Judge OK’s U-M Pot Rally Permit-Says U-M Violated Free Speech,” reads the front-page headline of the Ann Arbor News. In October, the University of Michigan granted NORML a permit to hold the Hash Bash at its traditional location—on the campus’ Diag. But in February, the school rescinded the permit. Fortunately, Washtenaw County Circuit Judge Donald Shelton recognized the impropriety of that decision and restored the permit literally at the 11th hour. “The University’s mishandling of the NORML permit application completely undermines its contention that any danger presented by the NORML rally is ‘clear’ or ‘present,’” the judge ruled.

But first things first. Saturday’s reserved for the first annual Freedom Fighters convention. Roger’s purple bus carts dozens of FFs to the picnic-style meeting, where spliffs are smoked, state chapter heads are elected, Chef RA’s rasta-riffic eats are chowed, and networking and partying are generally accomplished.

April 1

The Hash Bash begins at noon—without amplification. But thanks to the boys in Red Fly Nation, a PA is set up. Herer, Fiedler, Masel, Hash Bash organizer Rick Birkett, and Gatewood Galbraith, who introduces himself as the next governor of the state of Kentucky (he’s running in the 1991 race), all speak. Red Fly Nation plays a few songs before the PA is cut off at 2 PM. Even a midday downpour and numerous arrests can’t dampen the spirit of the 5,000-plus ralliers.

After the rally concludes at 6 PM, the scene shifts to the Heidelberg, where the HIGH TIMES contingent stages a high-energy benefit concert for NORML, featuring the Soul Assassins, the Nozems, and anti-folk artists Bobby Belfiore and Dave Herrera. The revelry continues through the night. Once again, the Hash Bash is a blast.

April 2

The backdrop for the Hash Bash was today’s pot referendum in Ann Arbor. In 1972, the city established a $5 fine for marijuana use and possession. Though the $5 fine was repealed the next year, it was written into Ann Arbor’s charter in 1974. Nine years later, another attempt to repeal it was voted down by a 61 percent majority. Now, in 1990, a referendum to raise the fine to $25 for a first offense has made it to the ballot. Hopefully, the spirit of the Hash Bash will bring voters out. A vote of no on Proposal B would keep the fine at $5.

Meanwhile, Jack, Don, and Gatewood leave for Detroit early this morning to appear on the morning show Kelly & Company. A 10 AM rally at Wayne State University is next on the agenda. (Herer’s crew handles that one.) Back in Ann Arbor, we’re moving rather slowly. Our only hope is to get to Detroit in time for a 1 PM legalization debate at the University of Detroit’s Student Union. We fill up the bus and hit the road.

Everyone on the panel is wearing a suit except for Jack, who’s wearing his tan hemp shirt (he never leaves home without it) over a tie-dyed t-shirt. Zolton Ferency, a Michigan State prof who’s running for the State Senate on a legalization platform, is there along with Rep. John Conyers and several others. Ferency quotes the following National Institute on Drug Abuse figures (1988): deaths from tobacco, 346,000; alcohol, 125,000; alcohol and drugs mixed, 4000; cocaine, 2000; marijuana, 75 (HIGH TIMES would tend to question this figure). Directing himself to Conyers, Ferency says:

“Deal with the drug problem as a public-health problem. Keep it out of the criminal justice system. It is not going to be solved by police, prosecutors, criminal courts, or prisons.”

Conyers, who is black, explains that he’s “against the way William Bennett runs the anti-drug strategy because it’s racist. When you focus on crack, you focus on blacks, by and large. The profile of the average drug user is white, middle class, and suburban. I want to change the laws that deal with the prosecution of drugs. Why don’t we get a justice system that really works—in which we get the drug dealers and the government out of it, rather than making it legal? I put treatment as a higher priority than making it all legal.”

Herer hammers away with the hemp argument. “The greatest tax on earth is the harm to the environment that the fossil fuels and synthetic fibers are causing to this planet,” Jack offers. “There is one single plant on earth that replaces 100 percent of our need for any of those—something that can be grown by American farmers, not mined by oil companies. We’re talking about hemp—the safest therapeutically active substance known to mankind.” At this point, Conyers picks up a copy of The Emperor Wears No Clothes and leafs through it.

From the audience, Ben issues his chess challenge to Drug Bizarre William Bennett or any prosecutor, narcotics officer, or anyone else who believes that marijuana is harmful to the intelligence. “I’ve been smoking it for 23 years,” he says. “If it causes permanent brain damage, I must be in bad shape—so prove it.”

Fiedler walks to the podium and addresses Conyers, who serves on several House committees that deal with drug issues. “We’re not asking you to legalize marijuana at this point, but if you’re holding hearings…”

Conyers interrupts. “Would you like to be a witness?”

“I’d love to,” Fiedler says.

“I would love to discuss the matter with you—here and in Washington,” Conyers adds.

Afterwards, Ferency tells me about his plan to legalize pot. “I’m not for taxing it. We don’t tax liquor, we sell it. In Michigan, you’re allowed to make 200 gallons of wine for personal use; I’m suggesting the same thing for marijuana. You want to grow your own pot, fine—it’s the same as wine. I deliberately came up with a plan that deals with merchandising marijuana in Michigan.

“I did that in response to our Drug Czar’s suggestion that it couldn’t be done. It can be done—very easily.”

Ferency ran for governor in 1966. He headed the state’s Democratic party for five years and was the liquor commissioner 30 years ago. He’s a lawyer by trade. “I’m the state’s best known liberal. I’ve been all over the road. I’ve been at this for 40 years. I know how it goes. I was in the anti-war movement, all the movements. What you need is middle-of-the-road presentations. People are convinced that we’re losing the War on Drugs by just reading the daily papers. They’ll listen to anybody who comes along and tells them, ‘Here’s one way we might be able to get out of this mess.’ That’s been my experience.”

Ferency’s opponent has the support of the governor. “It’s a tough struggle, it’s uphill. The governor wants that seat. All my opponent will have to do is sit in it. The governor’s raising $400,000 for her. Four hundred grand for a state legislative seat? Unheard of!” If you’d like to contribute to Zolton Ferency’s campaign—the primary is in August—send a donation to: Ferency for Senate Committee, PO Box 6446, East Lansing, Ml 48826.

Following the debate, we’re invited back to an off-campus party house. That evening, Herer is feted at a book reception at Alvin’s, a club near Wayne State.

April 3-4

Tuesday’s a rare off day for the Hemp Tour. I’m hanging out with Jack, who usually goes his separate way from the bus. He spends hours on the telephone, doing radio interviews, taking care of business. He’s a bundle of creative energy and never seems to relax.

Jack loves to see himself in print, whether he’s doing the writing or is being written about. Today’s Detroit Free Press runs a profile of Jack entitled, “Rebel With an Illegal Cause.” He’s pleased. Reporters seem to be gravitating toward the hemp issue; Jack’s book and his tireless efforts to promote the plant are the primary reasons why.

But there’s bad news, too; Ann Arbor voters, by a 53 to 47 percent majority, have decided to raise their town’s pot fine to $25.

A call from Fiedler, who’s returned to Washington, swings the mood back in a positive direction. Rep. Conyers has asked that Jack testify before the House Judiciary Committee. It’s cause to celebrate. Jack lights up a bowlful and kicks back for a few moments.

“We’re gonna win this thing, Bloom,” he barks. “No fucking way we’re gonna lose.”

Jack takes particular pleasure in converting people to his hemp message. One convert is David Hamburger, an otherwise conservative fellow who met Jack last November at the “Just Say Know” rally in Athens, Ohio. Marvin Surowitz, the organizer of the Detroit events, invited him to Athens. “Before I met Jack, I was totally on the other side—talk about quick political conversions,” says David, who is a private investor and former Bush supporter. “After the conference, I saw things differently. Cannabis, used in reasonable amounts, is an excellent natural relaxant and should be legalized. I smoke pot to increase my productivity and to take away tension headaches. But, to be honest, I find marijuana politics much more stimulating than marijuana.”

Around midnight, Jack begins mobilizing his troops for an early-morning trek to Cleveland—the next stop on the Hemp Tour. He’s scheduled to appear on The Morning Exchange TV program at 8 AM. Jack designates me as the driver. It’s an excruciating ride, but we make it right on time. A middle-aged man named Bernie Baltic is responsible for setting up the morning debate. He deposits us in a hotel and rushes Jack to the studio. Except for a change of tie-dyes, Jack’s dressed the same as he was two mornings ago. We turn the TV to channel 5 and await the debate.

The first question asked is: “Can hemp really reverse the Greenhouse Effect?” Jack rattles off all the glorious uses for hemp. The anti-drug advocate weakly challenges Jack’s hemp information and then begins reciting the standard litany about marijuana: it kills brain cells, it’s a “gateway drug,” and so on. Jack flicks these arguments away like so many marijuana ashes. From my point of view, the debate’s not even a contest.

There’s hardly any time to catch a few minutes sleep before the noon rally at Cleveland’s Public Square. Surrounded by tall office buildings and buffered by traffic, the location is perfect: No one can complain about the noise. And no one does. The rally runs five hours—Red Fly Nation plays for nearly two—without a hitch. What makes this event special is the turnout—not so much the numbers (about 400 total), but the mix of people who stop by for a quick listen. “In many ways, this has been our most successful date yet,” Ben says. “We were in front of the whole city, not just a student crowd—we had business people coming through, it was a much more mixed reception.” Even blacks, who are notably absent on the Tour, were in attendance. Thank Red Fly Nation’s funkadelic sounds for that.

John Hartman, Ohio NORML’s North Coast coordinator, who along with Ohio NORML leader Cliff Barrows organized the rally, is also excited about the “variety of people” who turned out. So where do people who attended the rally go from here? “I want them to write their representatives, take some of our literature and xerox it, pass out 100 copies here, 100 copies there—just get it out,” John says. “There’s nothing illegal about going door-to-door or standing on a street corner and handing pamphlets out. It’s a standard way of soliciting people—and the cheapest. Right now we don’t have the dollars, so it just comes down to getting out in the streets and informing people—leafletting or making calls or taking opinion polls, any contact with people.”

John invites the Hemp Tour back to his house to party and spend the night. Without people like John, the Hemp Tour would be forced to run up some pretty high hotel bills. Considering that the Tour runs on whatever it makes in sales of t-shirts and assorted products, this hospitality is invaluable.

April 5

Today’s headline in the Cleveland Plain Dealer reads, “Hemp is Given a New Twist—Fair Promotes Pot’s Many Uses.” In the article, a botanist from Case Western Reserve University admits he doesn’t know much about hemp other than its fiber is tough and it grows at a phenomenal rate. He suggests Flax, which is used to make linen and linseed oil, has similar properties to hemp.

During the ride down to the next stop—Kent State University—with Ben and Cliff, Ben says, “I want to reach the farm press and the farm researchers on this tour—make a particular effort to touch base at the agriculture schools, find the professors who might be motivated to take a closer look, and meet the kind of people who can convince the agriculture departments to give them permits to study the plant.”

Ben Masel is a professional activist. He not only runs the Hemp Tour, he also publishes The Zenger, an underground newspaper, out of his home base of Madison, Wisconsin. Ben’s style is more academic and less charismatic than Jack’s. He’s an expert polemicist and quite a good storyteller (his country twang and ironic outlook reminds me of Arlo Guthrie). Ben was the HIGH TIMES’ 1988 Counterculture Hero of the Year. I ask him to tell me when he first became politically active.

“One turning point was during the fourth grade, when we did Inherit the Wind as a class play. I was the teacher who was on trial for teaching evolution,” he laughs. “In the sixth grade, we were the first kids in the country to be bussed to integrate a black school. This was in Teaneck, New Jersey. By the 10th grade, we had been resegregated. While we were all in the same building, the classes weren’t integrated anymore. This led us to occupy the principal’s office in the spring of 10th grade. We held it for three days, and won most of our 13 unconditional demands. The principal resigned on the third day.

“Upon hearing about the shootings at Kent State, we got together a meeting of 150-200 students in the auditorium after school and we decided to call a strike. Next we heard that the Student Council wanted to join us. Then the principal came by and offered to cooperate with us if we called it a teach-in instead of a strike. A couple of days later, the Board of Education wanted to can the principal because one of the speakers at the teach-in had referred to ‘that motherfucker Nixon.’”

Appropriately, we arrive in Kent as Ben’s discussing his reaction to the events that devastated this small college town 20 years ago. Ben has a lot of personal history connected to Kent State University. He joined the May 4th Coalition in the late 70s in its efforts to prevent the University from building a gym over part of the area where the 1970 shootings occurred. They lost that battle. Perhaps today would be another.

The Hemp Tour was unable to obtain sponsorship from a student group for the rally. The Progressive Student Network balked out of fear that it would lose its registration if a legal problem arose. In addition, the school only allows use of a PA system in the plaza outside the Student Center for one hour a day—from noon to 1 PM. At 12:30, Ben plugs in the PA and begins to speak into a microphone. A crowd of about 100 congregate. By 1 PM, the local police are about to close in. Debbie warns Ben that they mean business, but he keeps talking until the police pull the plug at about 1:25. Ben races over to the PA and plugs it back in. The police grab him; the battle is on.

Ben clearly resists. They pull his hair. It takes four cops to lead Ben to their car, which is waiting about 200 feet away at the curb. The crowd chants, “Bullshit!” and “Let him go!” The cops don’t listen. In the chaos, a female frosh named Sharon Burns gets caught up in the activity. She and Ben are both arrested and taken to the nearby police station.

Sharon is charged with disorderly conduct and released on her own recognizance. Ben is hit with three charges: obstructing offical business, resisting arrest, and assault (they claim he kneed a cop in the groin). At first, we’re told that bail will be $1,250. After we make the necessary arrangements to pay a bail bondsman and drive six miles to Portage County, where Ben has been taken, we’re told the bail has been raised to $12,500. It’s fairly common to require 10 percent of the bond, but because of Ben’s long “rap sheet” and the fact that he’s from out-of-state (no doubt his previous run-ins at Kent State are also a consideration) they refuse to reduce the bond—at least until the morning. So Ben has to spend the night in jail.

Meanwhile, the Hemp Tour people are waiting for Debbie and me at a gallery on Water Street. Later on, Red Fly Nation and some local bands are supposed to play across the street at J.B.’s. There’s some anger over Ben’s decision to get arrested, but some good smoke mellows everyone out.

Water Street, it turns out, was where the calamitous events at Kent State began almost 20 years ago to the day. On May Day, 1970, Nixon announced that the US had invaded Cambodia. That night students poured out of J.B.’s and other clubs and into the streets; then they lit a bonfire and began smashing store windows. The next day, the ROTC building on the Kent State campus was firebombed. Two days later, the National Guard opened fire on the students.

Alan Canfora was there. He was shot in the wrist. He stood 50 feet in front of his friend, Jeff Miller, who took a bullet in the head. “As the guard got to the top of the hill and they stopped and they started to fire, I heard the guns go off and took a step away from them,” he tells me. “I thought, ‘Well, just in case they’re firing live ammunition, I’ll get behind a tree.’ I got behind one at the last possible second before a bullet went through my right wrist. It was the only tree in the line of fire. I’m convinced that that tree saved my life, because it was hit by several bullets and I could see many other bullets zipping through the air and ripping through the grass.”

Canfora puts today’s confrontation with the police in perspective when he explains: “Kent State remains now as it has been during the last 20 years—a very repressive institution which is controlled by the Republican interests in Ohio.”

April 6

Ben has a 9 AM hearing. A public defender named Bill Carroll shows up and asks for a reduction of the bond to $5,000. The judge agrees to that, plus he allows for 10 percent payment. Debbie counts out $500 and Ben is free.

Ben doesn’t exactly get a hero’s welcome when he returns to our Kent crash pad. There’s a noon rally slated for Athens in Southern Ohio at Ohio University. Herer has gone ahead and will run the rally. Cliff, Ben, and I again travel together; the bus is the last to leave.

For the first time on the Tour I get to see some pretty country. Southern Ohio is full of rolling hills. We take a few small roads to get there, with Ben doing the navigating. Does he regret the arrest? “Only that I resisted,” he says, proudly noting that it was his 106th arrest.

We get to Athens just as Jack is wrapping up. He applauds Ben’s arrest—’That’s how Ben teaches the kids,” Jack says. Plus, it got good press.

That evening, the University’s history and political science departments are sponsoring a debate/teach-in. It’s Jack and Gatewood versus Lois and Robert Whealy, a husband and wife prof team. The debate turns out to be quite a hoot.

The profs aren’t all that opposed. One point is well-taken: Don’t look for simplistic answers to our environmental problems. Gatewood proclaims, “I don’t apologize to anyone anymore about smoking pot. Any society that can accommodate alcohol and tobacco has room for pot.”

Later that night, Vicki Linker invites us all to her backwoods digs for a well-deserved and desperately-needed party (the type where dessert is served first). Red Fly Nation sets up in the living room and jams (I even get to play percussion on my fave songs—”Do the Feelin’” and “Strictly Wet”). Gatewood unknots his tie and opens his collar. Maria rolls the ugliest joints ever. Ben tries to recruit me to leave immediately for Indianapolis, where Farm Aid is scheduled to start in a few hours. He wants to leaflet the concert. Good idea, bad execution (the van barely made it to Vicki’s). Everyone sleeps it off.

April 7

Last stop for me—Columbus, Ohio. Everything I’ve been told to expect about the Columbus rally is right. This is one stop where there was little or no advance work, and it shows. The rally, tucked away on the campus of Ohio State University, fizzles. Hey, the Hemp Tour was due for a dud.

I’m ready to head home.

Tomorrow, Dayton hosts a rally, and then it’s off to a swing through Indiana (the Tour runs through May). Jack is packed and ready to roll. “C’mon, Bloom, you’re driving to Dayton,” he yells. Sorry, Jack, I’m booked on a flight back to New York. But he has me thinking. Should I spend just a few more days on the Hemp Tour?

At that moment, the bus pulls up; it’s being tailed by a cop. Apparently, Dean hopped a curb and is getting written up. Hey, you know what? This is one nutty Hemp Tour.

This article appears in the July 1990 issue of High Times. Subscribe here.

The post From the Archives: Hemp Tour ’90 (1990) appeared first on High Times.

The post From the Archives: Hemp Tour ’90 (1990) appeared first on Paradise Found.

The post Luck Presents Launches High Holidays Celebration In Honor Of Willie Nelson appeared first on Paradise Found.

The post Former President Jimmy Carter Says His Son Smoked Weed With Willie Nelson appeared first on Paradise Found.