John Sinclair, Champion of Legal Marijuana and Counterculture Hero, Passes Away at 82
A champion of legal marijuana, counterculture hero and poet, John Sinclair died Tuesday morning at age 82.
His representative, Matt Lee, confirmed he died at Detroit Receiving Hospital of congestive heart failure.
A Legacy of Activism and Influence
Sinclair was an influential activist who was best known for his fight toward legalizing marijuana and for his role as band manager for the MC5. The Davison native was also a champion of civil rights and co-founder of the radical anti-racist group the White Panther Party.
“He was on the forefront of the marijuana movement, that’s for sure,” Lee said. “But I don’t think people realized how knowledgeable he was in American music and he was a certified expert in all forms of American jazz and rhythm and blues.”
The Arrest That Fueled a Movement
Sinclair was famously arrested for felony possession of two joints in the late 1960s and sentenced to 10 years in prison. The arrest and sentence galvanized counterculture activists and many came to his defense with a 1971 freedom rally at Ann Arbor’s Crisler Arena, headlined by John Lennon and Yoko Ono with performances by Bob Seger and Stevie Wonder. The 14-hour event drew 15,000 people and Sinclair was released from prison in Jackson three days later.
Inspiring a New Generation
Lennon, who had been arrested for marijuana possession himself, wrote a song for Sinclair, which appears on the John Lennon and Yoko Ono album “Some Time in New York City,” released in 1972. “They gave him 10 for two/What else can Judge Colombo do/We gotta set him free,” Lennon’s lyrics say.
The song “John Sinclair” was covered by 1990s rock band Blind Melon, which may have exposed a new generation of pot activists to Sinclair, including former Hash Bash organizer Nicholas Zettell, who heard the song at age 14. His dad took him to hear Sinclair speak in person a year later.
A Lasting Impact
“That was a very inspirational event in my life that led me to passionately pursue cannabis legalization activism … something about the injustice of his story lit a fire in me,” said Zettell, who was inspired to go to school in Ann Arbor after learning about the Hash Bash and Michigan’s medical and legal cannabis movement.
“I and many, many others owe a lot to John and his righteous ways.”
A Life Dedicated to Change
Sinclair had been living in the Cass Corridor in recent years. He witnessed the legalization of marijuana in his home state and the proliferation of cannabis dispensaries across the region.
“He thought it was great. He would say, ‘We finally got the squares to come around,'” Lee said. “He was definitely on the cutting edge of counterculture. He was definitely Detroit’s resident radical.”
A Memorable Hash Bash
Sinclair was scheduled to speak at the 53rd annual Ann Arbor Hash Bash, but his passing has turned the event into a remembrance for the champion of marijuana legalization. Speakers, including John’s ex-wife, photographer Leni Sinclair, will pay homage to Sinclair and other activists who have passed away.
A Rich Legacy
Sinclair left behind a significant body of work in the form of books and recorded poems and essays backed by blues and jazz musicians. His last book, “Collected Poems 1964-2024,” will be released next week by M.L. Liebler at Ridgeway Press.
Survived by Loved Ones
Sinclair is survived by his daughters Celia Sinclair and Sunny Sinclair, granddaughter Beyonce, and his ex-wife, Leni Sinclair.
