It was wet, chilly and muddy from recent rains on the University of Michigan Diag as the 54th annual Hash Bash kicked off at high noon on April 5.
Tommy Chong, the stoner comedy legend of “Cheech and Chong” fame, even commented on the weather, asking the crowd of thousands how they put up with it. He then suggested the antidote was “that great plant” in their pockets.
“Marijuana really is the voice of God,” Chong said, saying he used to joke about that, but he’s serious, too.
“In fact, it was the burning bush in the Bible … Moses talked to the burning bush,” he said, joking the bush gave Moses certain instructions. “And he lit up and, man, the sea parted — that’s how high he got, man. And we’re still feeling the effects.”
Clouds of marijuana smoke swirled while pot leaf flags danced in the breeze as another edition of Ann Arbor’s long-running smoke fest and political rally was underway.
Speakers with messages at times political in nature competed for attention with a saxophonist performing songs such as Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” toward the back of the crowd.
Many attendees puffed joints as has been tradition at the Ann Arbor event since the 1970s, while some partook in baked cannabis treats and fruity candies sold by unofficial vendors and aspiring entrepreneurs who set up shop on the Diag.
Chong, 86, appeared alongside Joey Marin, the son of his longtime comedy partner Cheech Marin, noting he and Cheech have a new movie coming out called “Cheech and Chong’s Last Movie.” It’s a documentary about their careers and making it big in the cannabis world, with a mix of new and archival footage.
“You’re gonna love it,” Chong said. “It’s footage that Geraldo Rivera shot when Cheech and I were at our peak and when we were healthy enough to be able to tie our own shoes and, you know, smoke our own dope.”
The film is set to hit theaters April 25, with early screenings planned for 4:20 p.m. on April 20.
Read the rest of the story and see pictures from Hash Bash at MLIVE