TEN YEARS FOR TWO JOINTS
While most people talked about revolution—John Sinclair put words into action. As co-founder of the White Panther Party and his association with the Yippies (Youth International Party), Sinclair’s efforts in legalizing pot, fighting capitalism and defending the freedom of press are unparalleled.
December 10, 2021, marked the 50th anniversary of John Sinclair Freedom Rally, an event that’s commemorated yearly at Michigan’s Hash Bash. April 1, 1972, was the first Hash Bash, one of the oldest cannabis events in the US. The event also marked a milestone when pop stars and pot smokers mobilized to defeat the government—for one brief moment.
Who is John Sinclair?
As one of the definitive poets of jazz poetry, Sinclair shared views with his mentor Allen Ginsberg and other Beatniks, such as pot smoking. He began advocating to legalize cannabis seriously in 1965 after graduating from the University of Michigan in Flint. In 1967, Sinclair and his then-wife Leni founded the underground newspaper Ann Arbor Sun with artist Gary Grimshaw. It was one of several underground print projects he worked on, including the anarchist paper Fifth Estate and radical paper The Argus.
At this time, Sinclair also managed the band MC5 (Motor City Five)—a personification of the militant counterculture movement, who with Iggy Pop defined proto-punk. Many anti-Vietnam War protests Sinclair attended devolved into riots. Every day American soldiers were dying. Meanwhile, Leni was conducting psychedelic light shows, and capturing some of the most stunning
