Thousands of people gather at the Diag at the University of Michigan for the 46th annual Hash Bash on Saturday, April 1, 2017. Hash Bash began in 1972 and each year has gotten bigger and pushed to legalize marijuana. (Matt Weigand, The Ann Arbor News via AP)

Thousands attend Ann Arbor’s annual Hash Bash

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By The Associated Press

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Several thousand people gathered Saturday on the University of Michigan’s campus in Ann Arbor to celebrate marijuana.

The annual Hash Bash started Saturday afternoon on the school’s Diag and has become a rallying effort for legalizing marijuana use.

The Ann Arbor News reports that attorney and activist Jeffrey Hank released a pair of white doves Saturday as symbols of the fight to legalize pot.

Michigan bans marijuana use and possession unless it’s medical marijuana.

Voters in six Michigan communities passed marijuana decriminalization measures in November 2014. Voters in two Oakland County communities passed similar measures that August, while voters in Lansing were among residents in three cities who approved decriminalization proposals in 2013.

An estimated 8,000 people attended last year’s rally.

A reveler smokes out of a large bong during the Monroe Street Fair after the 46th annual Hash Bash on Saturday, April 1, 2017. The street fair featured vendors, music and speakers and is the largest pro-marijuana festival east of the Mississippi. (Matt Weigand, The Ann Arbor News via AP)
A reveler smokes out of a large bong during the Monroe Street Fair after the 46th annual Hash Bash on Saturday, April 1, 2017. The street fair featured vendors, music and speakers and is the largest pro-marijuana festival east of the Mississippi. (Matt Weigand, The Ann Arbor News via AP)