Political activist, icon, and poet John Sinclair, 82, passed away of congestive heart failure Tuesday morning. Sinclair would have otherwise appeared at Ann Arbor Hash Bash in Michigan this Saturday to show support for pot reform.
Sinclair advocated to legalize pot as early as 1965, joining his mentors like Allen Ginsberg and Ed Sanders. Beyond his poetry, he managed MC5 (Motor City Five), worked on the radio, and co-founded a series of underground publications. He later co-founded the anti-racist White Panther Party, a faction of the Black Panther Party and became associated with the radical activist group the Yippies (Youth International Party). His anti-Vietnam War antics wound up catching the eye of the C.I.A., F.B.I., and other law enforcement groups.
The first few times I called John Sinclair and his ex-wife Leni Sinclair, I could detect a lingering general distrust of the media—which like many things, could be controlled by the government. High Times assigned me to interview Sinclair for the January, 2022 advocacy issue. It was just after the 50th anniversary of John Sinclair Freedom Rally the year earlier, which would lead to the annual Ann Arbor Hash Bash in Michigan.
“I started advocating for the legalization of marijuana in Michigan in January 1965,” Sinclair told High Times in 2022. “Only Allen Ginsberg and Ed Sanders were active proponents of legalization then, as well as the lawyer in San Francisco who created the legal brief in support of legalization that I used in my court battle.”
We also reached out to Sinclair’s ex Leni for her priceless photography that documented the ‘60s and ‘70s. (Former High Times managing editor John Holmstrom also interviewed Sinclair for the July, 1988 issue of High Times, when the activist described lobbying for NORML and his activities in Ann Arbor.)
John Sinclair, smoking in 1969. …
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Author: Benjamin M. Adams / High Times
