In the latest installment of Cannthropology, we look back at the Youth International Party, aka the Yippies—the anarchistic activist group from the 1960s founded by Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin. Once referred to as “Groucho Marxists,” the Yippies employed absurdist pranks and satirical street theater as a means to embarrass the establishment and call attention to their liberal causes, such as ending the Vietnam War and legalizing marijuana. Among the many prominent activists associated with the Yippie movement was a man personally recruited by Hoffman and Rubin early on named Dana Beal. Beal was one of the group’s driving forces—organizing most of their “smoke-in” protests throughout the 1970s and 80s and eventually becoming the Yippies’ de facto leader and historian. In this interview, Beal discusses his lifelong crusade for cannabis, his friendship with High Times founder Tom Forcade, how the first smoke-in in Washington D.C. may have instigated Watergate, and how Mayor Giuliani’s attempted crackdown on NYC’s “May Day” pot parade helped transform it into the worldwide Million Marijuana March.

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.

Read our Cannthropology blog at worldofcannabis.museum/cannthropology and in our official media partner Leaf Magazine. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of this podcast, please contact us at cannthropology@gmail.com.

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Hashtags: #Cannthropology, #worldofcannabismuseum, #worldofcannabis #wocmuseum

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