Like other art and music events have resorted to doing amid the coronavirus outbreak, this year's Hash Bash is going digital.
Since we can't gather in large groups due to the highly contagious virus, and since sharing a joint with a stranger is ill-advised at this time, this year's annual ode to the sweet leaf will be livestreamed from the safety of your computer.
So don't show up at U-M's Diag in Ann Arbor hoping to bum a joint.
The online Hash Bash will begin at noon Saturday and can be viewed on PlanetGreenTreesTV.com or HypedUpLiveSessions.com. This year's list of speakers includes former Detroit Red Wing Darren McCarty, state Sen. Jeff Irwin, state House Rep. Yousef Rabhi, and attorney Matt Abel of Michigan NORML.
The Hash Bash started in 1972 after cannabis activist John Sinclair got busted by an undercover cop for marijuana possession, and has since turned into an annual cannabis rights rally. While Sinclair teased on his blog recently that he'd burn one at the Diag this year, coronavirus be damned, we're told he's now planning on staying home this year. Probably for the better.
Last year was the first Hash Bash to be held since Michiganders voted to decriminalize the recreational use of pot, and what a beautiful day it was. We're going to miss it terribly this year, especially since this is the first Hash Bash since Michigan's recreational marijuana stores have opened. And, like, c'mon — 4/20? It was too perfect.
Oh, well. There's always next year.
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