John Lennon's Hash Bust Set Off an Immigration Battle for the Ages

Great Moments in Weed History

David Bienenstock

Tv & Film, Comedy, History

4.8 • 659 Ratings

🗓️ 23 April 2025

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 1971, John Lennon performed publicly, for the first time in five years, at a rally decrying the injustice of Michigan police targeting a radical political activist for an elaborate undercover sting operation, resulting in a sentence of ten years in prison for passing two joints. The concert brought massive media attention, and John Sinclair soon after walked out of prison a free man, landing John Lennon on Richard Nixon's official enemies list. For the next three years, the President's "plumbers" harassed the former Beatle and his wife Yoko Ono, while the INS threatened him with deportation over an old hashish bust back in England. Meanwhile the FBI tapped his phones and sent agents to tail his every move. Lennon, Ono, and their legal team fought them every step, and along the way created a new legal precedent in immigration law that still stands as today's DREAM act. Read John Lennon vs. The USA (written by Lennon's immigration attorney Leon Wildes) for more info. Long live Nutopia! PATREON Please support Great Moments in Weed HIstory on Patreon. Supporters get exclusive access to video versions of this podcast and private seshes, plus cool rewards like a signed book. And it truly helps us make the best show possible. EPISODE ARCHIVE Visit our podcast feed for 150+ episodes of Great Moments in Weed History, and subscribe now to get a new weekly podcast every Weednesday.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm looking on this day.
0:06.5	It's been, welcome to an all new great moments and weed. It's been, welcome to an all-new great moments in weed history.
0:25.6	Let me start by wishing you all a belated and very happy 420.
0:32.6	I hope that you celebrated the annual Stoner holiday in high style, as I certainly did.
0:40.9	I kick things off right here in Potland, Oregon, with a live show of the history of weed,
0:50.0	my new comedic exploration of the fascinating story of our favorite plant.
0:57.3	That was a kickstand comedy theater.
1:00.2	Yes, it's sold out again.
1:03.0	That was fantastic.
1:04.7	Thank you so much to everyone who came out,
1:06.9	especially to listeners of this podcast and double especially to those of you who support
1:13.7	the show on Patreon.
1:16.3	I was so excited to see you.
1:18.0	I was thrilled with the crowd reaction.
1:20.6	And of course, we had an officially unofficial sesh after the show on the street, outside the theater, but a respectful distance away
1:30.0	from their front door. And that took us right to midnight, right to the beginning of actual
1:37.0	420. And I got to say, I was elated. I was lit, and I am eager to take this show on the road.
1:48.7	So if you have an idea of how you can bring the history of weed and yours truly to where you live for a show, hit me up.
1:58.5	Info at great moments in weed history.com, particularly if you work with a local dispensary
2:05.4	or a brand or, you know, you're an eccentric millionaire and you want to sponsor the show.
2:12.3	So that got me to the early hours of 420, and then I treated myself to go see fish live in Portland on 420.
2:28.6	Seemed a little too on the nose to miss out.
	...

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