For more than 50 years, Hash Bash has been a defining part of Ann Arbor’s culture—a peaceful gathering rooted in free speech, community, and the long fight for sensible marijuana laws. Today, those laws have changed. Michigan voters legalized cannabis for adults. Yet the University of Michigan is choosing to treat this historic event as if that progress never happened.

This year, attendees are being told they cannot possess or use marijuana anywhere on campus, even outdoors on the Diag. Vendors who have long been part of the event’s ecosystem are being pushed out. Organizers and participants are facing heightened police enforcement and the real possibility of citations or arrest. What was once a celebration of civic engagement and reform is being reshaped into something constrained, uncertain, and disconnected from the will of Michigan voters.

The university cites federal law and funding requirements. But this rigid approach ignores the spirit of state law, the importance of free expression, and the long-standing tradition of Hash Bash as a peaceful protest. It also risks creating confusion, unnecessary enforcement, and tension between attendees and law enforcement—outcomes that do not serve public safety or community trust.

We are calling on University of Michigan Interim President Domenico Grasso, the UM Board of Regents, and the Division of Public Safety and Security to lift these unfair restrictions on Hash Bash. Policies should reflect both legal realities in Michigan and the university’s responsibility to support free expression and public trust.

Hash Bash has always been about more than marijuana—it’s about people coming together to advocate, reflect, and be heard. That spirit deserves to be respected, not restricted out of existence.

It’s time for the University of Michigan to work with—not against—the community that has made Hash Bash a peaceful, historic, and meaningful event for over half a century.

Sign to stand for fairness, clarity, and the future of Hash Bash.

Photo via mlive.com