ANN ARBOR, Mich., April 8 (UPI) -- The 41st annual Hash Bash at the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor was more political this year than in the past, organizers said.
Thousands of pot supporters gathered at the campus at what they call high noon Saturday to show their support for the legalization of marijuana, the Detroit Free Press reported.
This year, organizers asked Hash Bash-goers to sign a petition calling for a vote by Michiganders to determine whether marijuana should be legal for all uses, not just medicinal purposes.
Volunteers must gather 322,609 signatures by July 8 for Michigan voters to see the proposal on the November ballot.
"I just don't understand why alcohol is legal and marijuana isn't," Chelsie Nicholas, 21, of Saline said moments after signing a petition. "It doesn't make you violent like alcohol. It just chills you out and makes you feel silly."
"And expands your mind," added her friend, Deanna Delicato, 21, of Ann Arbor.
So far, Safer Michigan Repeal Marijuana Prohibition 2012 has collected 15,000 signatures, The Detroit News reported.
"People see the value in giving people that choice as long as they aren't hurting anybody …," said David Dudenhoefer, who collected signatures at the event Saturday. "It's not about endorsement. It's about tolerance."
The Hash Bash began at the university in 1971 after a local activist, John Sinclair, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for selling two joints to undercover police. Sinclair was released after the Michigan Supreme Court ruled the state's marijuana statutes were unconstitutional.
He spoke at Saturday's event.
"When people like ourselves vote, we win," he said. "We can make it happen."
