RESOURCES:
Caroline MacGregor: You're listening to 89.1 WEMU. I'm Caroline MacGregor. And my guest today is Jamie Lowell. He is the Hash Bash organizer and he's also executive director of Michigan NORML. Welcome to the program, Jamie!
Jamie Lowell: Well, thanks for having me!
Caroline MacGregor: So, tell me what's happening this Saturday, April 4th, at high noon on the Diag at the University of Michigan.
Jamie Lowell: It's going to be the 55th annual Hash Bash. Hash Bash started in 1972 at the Diag. And there's been a couple twists and turns there, but generally every year has been there since it started.
Caroline MacGregor: Now, as advocates gather, this is actually a critical moment for cannabis rights in Michigan. Tell me a bit about this, if you would, for our listeners.
Jamie Lowell: Well, there's been a lot of progress over the years, as many people in Michigan know. In fact, some people wonder why we're even still having this rally, since it's been legalized. But the reality is there's a backslide, there is an attack on rights, there has been uptick in enforcement on minor cannabis activity. There is a whole strew of really horrible legislation that's been introduced by lawmakers in the Michigan legislature, and it's more important than ever for people to come together. And stand in opposition to these attacks on what we've achieved over the years.
Caroline MacGregor: You mentioned you're now in your 55th year hash bash still remains one of the nation's longest running platforms for cannabis advocacy and free expression there was some confusion though that apparently where it was suggested the event permit had been revoked but this is not the case you are moving forward as planned.
Jamie Lowell: Yeah, there was some misreporting and I don't really yet understand where the bad information came from, why it was reported like that and then why it wasn't subsequently retracted when it was pointed out, but there was a report that the permit was revoked and then It was later amended to say that it's going to be revoked, you know, the whole thing was just very strange and it caused some people to wonder whether or not the event was still going on and some extra confusion on top of an already kind of a difficult time to put one of these events on. And so that was not cool, but it was not true and the event is in fact moving forward and we do have the permit. I think it was issued February 26 or something, so. We've been in good shape in that regard for a while now. The university is putting this extra insurance requirement on us. I don't think they can really do it, but it's our kind of policy as event organizers just to do whatever we can to make it work without having a fight or stuff like that. So, we kind of went along with it this year, but what they were originally asking for was prohibitive. Like those types of coverage just aren't, isn't appropriate for it, it's really expensive, you know, that type of stuff. So, we ended up agreeing to something more than what's normally required, but still like three times as much.
Caroline MacGregor: So now, this year's event comes as a newly imposed 24 percent wholesale cannabis tax, which is widely viewed as unconstitutional and currently being challenged in court is already placing a significant strain on the industry. At the same time, there's proposals in Lansing that would recriminalize minor cannabis activity. Tell me a bit more about this and why this is such an issue of contention for people who support cannabis.
Jamie Lowell: Yeah, well, the Michigan Regulated Tax Marijuana Act, which is the tax structure for cannabis, came into existence by way of the ballot initiative process. It was put on the ballot for a vote after petition-gatherers gathered enough valid signatures to place it on the ballots. And when that is the case, that law cannot be amended in any other way. Then I think maybe another ballot initiative, but otherwise by a super majority, 75 percent vote of the legislature. The tax that is currently in place as a 24 percent wholesale tax, which was purposefully omitted by the drafters of the MRTMA was done by way of a stand-alone bill. That only required a regular majority, 50 plus percent majority, and it was called the road tax. So, its label had nothing to do with where the tax was actually being applied, and it was not done with a super majority. There are other issues that are being argued in court besides that, but that should be pretty straightforward. It remains appalling that this even got to the point where it's actually implemented right now. I mean, at least it should have been restrained and requested, but denied while it plays out in court. So, it was a bad idea on the surface because it's a strain on an already struggling industry, but it's further a bad idea because it disregards the voters' intent and the ballot initiative process, and that is going on now. And on top of that, there are a lot more bad bills that have been introduced, meaning they start taking away at rights and creating more unnecessary restrictions, and this is all going on with an obvious uptick in law enforcement on minor cannabis activity.
Caroline MacGregor: That's what I wanted to ask you about, you know, how have the recent increases in enforcement actions tied to low-level cannabis activity added to these overall concerns that you've just mentioned?
Jamie Lowell: Yeah. Well, there seems to be not only an attack on the commercial industry and making things a lot more difficult for the smaller operators, the mom-and-pop shops, the medium sized kind of companies and stuff like that, but there is also an attack on individual rights. It just seems to driven by those who maybe have big investments, maybe the big money interests who we traditionally had issues with, those entities that come in looking to. Make profit, but in a completely new world, where it's obvious they have no historical perspective, cultural perspective, or understanding of the nature of the product they're getting involved with, and believe that any activity outside of the commercial interest where they've invested a large amount of money is competition to what they're trying to achieve. And it seems like there's a lot of pressure and ability for those with the resources and the connections and things to leverage their position and try to gain more market share at the cost of hurting the smaller players and individual rights. There's no reason for it, there's no victims, there have been no issues associated with the activity. There's a lot of activity that takes place outside of the commercial arena and it is definitely allowed and it sometimes gets treated as if it shouldn't be going on, and it reminds me of kind of things we were dealing with several years ago with cannabis enforcement. There's just an obvious change in approach, and its heading in the exact wrong direction.
Caroline MacGregor: And I believe, you know, just to kind of circle back a bit to the permitting process, this was very difficult this year, correct? I know the students for psychedelic studies secured the permit, but apparently, they ran into increasing hurdles.
Jamie Lowell: Well, they also were the whole student group, which the process is that a student group in good standing secures the permit and the last couple years, I guess, the university has only wanted to deal with the students, not the broader event organizers, keeping things a little bit more restrictive for whatever their reasons are. They denied permit for an event called Entheofest, which is not as big as Hash Bash, and having gone on for nearly as long, I think the last time was the fifth annual. But the university cited a lot of issues with Hash Bash in part as the reason for denying that permit. And so, the university was sued and lost and had to issue the permit. We did expect the possibility of having to maybe fight again about it. But the, you know, the university, was somewhat reasonable throughout the process, but then again, a lot of us were not able to directly be involved in those conversations or emails or things like that because they've kind of cut out the broader organizing group. And they did impose this larger amount of insurance on us, which I don't think they've done to other groups, and they haven't provided really good reason. We've been fine with the regular insurance and have had no issues and had to make no claims and there have just been no real problems. Now, there has been a proliferation of people showing up and kind of setting up a place and distributing, you know, cannabis and things, and the university doesn't like that. And what we learned in the Court of Claims when the Entheofest permit denial was challenged was that it's not the event organizer's fault that that happened when there's the university's obligation to do something about it. And so, they are planning on having more enforcement and targeting people who do those types of things. And so, the whole process has changed, and the student groups end up really having to bear a lot more of the direct processes, the time involved, the stresses involved and things like that. And it's just not easy. And we really appreciate SAPs and the people involved that have put up with that. Last time one of those sat members Emily had to be the plaintiff in the lawsuit, and it was a very stressful thing and a hard decision to make. A lot of pressures coming in from different areas and that type of thing. So, it's a new era right now in this whole thing and it's hard enough to put the event on but then to have to kind of like fight just to have the free speech ability is you know an additional stress for everybody. So, we hope that we get in some better times in the next few years here.
Caroline MacGregor: So, despite the political hurdles that you've run into, Hash Bash is now in its 55th year and remains one of the nation's longest running platforms for cannabis advocacy and free expression. And you are holding your event this Saturday, April 4th at high noon on the Diag at the University of Michigan. Now there is the closing of Monroe Street Fair. Is that going to affect the proceedings?
Jamie Lowell: No, that's another element that could add something to this whole event, but it's the first year in a really long time that Monroe Street Fair is not going on. And a lot of people make that a big part of their day when they come into town for Hash Bash, and it's not going to be there. So, what people do after Hash Bash or those people who normally go to Monroe Street Fair, what they may do, it's unclear. But Hash Bash itself is going to go on until at least four o'clock or so. So, people can hang out with us all that time if they'd like to. There will be some music that's involved, as well as some great speakers.
Caroline MacGregor: Yeah, tell me about the featured speakers at this year's event.
Jamie Lowell: Well, yeah, so Mr. Hash Bash himself, the MC of Hash Bash for about 20 years and a guy who really revived the event and brought the legendary John Sinclair, who unfortunately passed away a couple years ago, back into the fold. Made him a regular part of the event that his story, you know, created in the first place. And he had to go to jail and other people took over the event. But every year we put him right up front because he is the history and the person who really kept this thing going at a time when it was needed most.
Caroline MacGregor: That's Adam Brooke, correct?
Jamie Lowell: And that's Adam Brooke, Mr. Hash Bash, and Lenny Sinclair, former partner of John Sinclair, is scheduled to be there. She has some medical stuff going on, so her daughters may fill in if she can't make it. But aside from being a civil rights activist along with John, she's also a world-renowned photographer. And we're going to have some of the local representatives, State Senator Jeff Irwin, Sheriff Alyshia Dyer, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell. We may get Eli Savit, he's very busy with his campaign for attorney general, but he's going to try to make it by. He's been there for Bash and Entheofest for the last couple of years. And just other than that, we have a lot of representatives of advocacy groups and activist groups that will also help people know what they can do if they want to help out in some particular area of this movement and a lot of booths of nonprofits that will offer up educational information and things like that too.
Caroline MacGregor: Well, thank you so much. So just to repeat, the 55th Annual Hash Bash takes place on Saturday, April 4th. It starts at noon, and it's taking place on the Diag at the University of Michigan. Jamie, thank you so much for joining us today!
Jamie Lowell: Thanks for having me! I appreciate it!
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