From Ann Arbor to Amsterdam (Episode 6)

09/03/20 • 70 min

From Ann Arbor to Amsterdam - featuring Hash Bash Organizer/Emcee Adam Brook (Episode 6). In this special archive edition of Cannthropology: Amsterdam Sessions recorded live in Amsterdam in early December of last year, host Bobby Black sits down with OG Michigan cannabis activist Adam Brook. During a hazy hashish smoking session, the two discuss a number of topics, including the history of Michigan’s cannabis laws; Ann Arbor’s famous Hash Bash event and how it was inspired by legendary activist John Sinclair; how laws and attitudes regarding cannabis have changed over the decades; the early days of the High Times Cannabis Cup; their mutual affinity for the city of Amsterdam; and some of the rare items he’s donated to the museum collection. Adam Brook is the longtime organizer & emcee of the annual Hash Bash rally in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He’s also the organizer of the Hash Bash Cup and personal manager of cannabis culture legend John Sinclair. Brook was named High Times Freedom Fighter of the year in 1994, which provided him the opportunity to attend the first Cannabis Cup event in Amsterdam that was open to the public that year. Photo credit: Malcolm Mackinnon. The World of Cannabis Museum Project Presents: Cannthropology—the potcast that explores the history of cannabis culture one artifact and interview at a time. Hosted by World of Cannabis executive director and marijuana media icon Bobby Black. In each episode, Bobby chooses a different item(s) from the museum's collection of around 500 rare antiques, artifacts, and artworks, and welcomes a different guest to help him explore the item’s significance and place in cannabis history.

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Tribute to Lester Grinspoon (Episode 5)

Tribute to Lester Grinspoon - with special guests David Grinspoon, Keith Stroup, Allen St. Pierre, Valerie Leveroni Corral, and Rick Cusick (Ep. 5). In this special extended episode of Cannthropology, we honor the passing of the “Godfather of Medical Marijuana” Dr. Lester Grinspoon. To memorialize his life and legacy, host Bobby Black welcomes on some of those who were closest to the good doctor: his son, astrobiologist and author David Grinspoon; NORML founder Keith Stroup, former NORML executive director Allen St. Pierre, WAMM cofounder Valerie Leveroni Corral, and former High Times associate publisher Rick Cusick, who all share some of their favorite memories, anecdotes, and insights into one of the consequential advocates in the cannabis community.

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Cannabis Prohibition’s Racist Roots (Episode 7)

Cannabis Prohibition’s Racist Roots - featuring The Equity Organization’s Founder & Executive Director Natalie Papillion (Episode 7). In this extended episode, we tackle an important topic: racism and its relationship to cannabis prohibition. Host Bobby Black welcomes the founder and executive director of The Equity Organization Natalie Papillion to talk about the history of racism and cannabis. From the fear of black jazz musicians and Mexican immigrants in the 1920s and 30s to Nixon’s targeting of black and Jewish activists in the early 1970s; from the mandatory minimum sentences of the 1980s to stop and frisk in the 1990s; from mass incarceration and asset forfeiture to voter disenfranchisement and the inequities of the burgeoning cannabis industry—we lay out all of the racist rhetoric and sobering statistics, and discuss what might be done to remedy the systemic issues we face. Natalie Papillion is a writer, researcher, and Yale graduate who contributed to the 2014 American Book Award-winning Jim Crow Freedom: Memory and Identity in Black America Since 1940 and author of the upcoming book Reefer Madness: The Roots of Marijuana Prohibition in America. She’s also the Founder and Executive Director of The Equity Organization, a nonprofit organization working to advance fair, effective, and equitable criminal justice and drug policy reforms.
The World of Cannabis Museum Project Presents Cannthropology—the potcast that explores the history of cannabis culture one artifact and interview at a time. Hosted by World of Cannabis executive director and marijuana media icon Bobby Black. In each episode, Bobby chooses a different item(s) from the museum's collection of around 500 rare antiques, artifacts, and artworks, and welcomes a different guest to help him explore the item’s significance and place in cannabis history.