In December 1999, IE cannabis history began with six people attending the first meeting of the Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project (MAPP) at the The Hemp Store in Desert Hot Springs. Fast forward to Saturday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. where you are cordially invited to join us in making history again as we  celebrate MAPP’s 25^th Anniversary in Palm Springs at the 420 Bank Dispensary and Lounge.

If someone told me 25 years ago, that we would have stores selling cannabis, farmers cultivating legal crops, businesses manufacturing edibles, tinctures, oils and concentrates, people convicted of cannabis violations being released from jail and having their convictions expunged from their records, medical facilities allowing patients to consume cannabis, the California State Fair awarding Blue Ribbons for the best cannabis and the wholesale price of cannabis plunging from $2,000 to $3,000/pound to $1,000/pound, I would have wondered what they had been drinking, but that is where we are today.

Yes, there are still problems a plenty and much more work has to be done to make the accessibility of cannabis as easy to obtain and as affordable as a bottle of wine, but for all of you who supported our work in the Inland Empire it is time to kick back for an evening, look back at what we have accomplished and celebrate that we have indeed FREED THE WEED. To prove that we really have ended cannabis prohibition, we will be able to publicly (with no fear of arrest) CELEBRATE MAPP'S 25TH ANNIVERSARY CONSUMING CANNABIS - smoking, vaping, vaporizing, eating and, for those who dare, dabbing.

From convincing the city of Palm Springs in 2008 to be the first city in the IE to allow the legal operation of medical marijuana dispensaries to Riverside County’s extraordinary 2015 medical cannabis cultivation ordinance that allows patients at one residence to cultivate up to 24 plants indoors and OUTDOORS, MAPP has turned Riverside County from the backwaters of cannabis accessibility to a leader.

Unfortunately, San Bernardino County has been a much harder nut to crack. The County has always been a reactionary curmudgeon from their ill-fated lawsuit to have SB 420 declared unconstitutional to their fortunately also ill-fated attempt to have me imprisoned for my cannabis activism by bringing hundreds of patients to SB County Board of Supervisors meetings and haranguing them about their refusal to implement Prop. 215 and Prop. 64 even though both were approved by their voters. They are losing the battle as there are now several cities in the County that have allowed businesses to make cannabis available, but SB County has a long way to go to catch up with Riverside County.

Whether you live in Riverside County or San Bernardino County, please join us for MAPP’s 25^th Anniversary celebration. It is rare chance to reconnect with many of the folks who you worked side-by-side with as we lobbied, marched, protested and picketed during the last 25 years demanding legal access to cannabis. In both counties MAPP also provided court-support for those who got caught up in the legal system for the use and/or cultivation of cannabis and some of these folks will be joining us to celebrate their freedom as well.

The 25th Anniversary Party will be held at the fabulous 420 Bank Dispensary and Lounge in downtown Palm Springs at 296 S. Palm Canyon Dr. One of the largest cannabis dispensaries and lounges in California, the 420 Bank Dispensary is a gem.We will have a private room for our celebration, but the entire premises will be open and available for your enjoyment and edification.

In keeping with the celebratory theme of the event and that we will be consuming cannabis, we will be providing a scrumptious DESERT and ICE CREAM buffet. Please note that the ice cream and deserts we will be providing will be non-medicated as the 420 Bank is a legal dispensary and under California law all cannabis products can only be provided by them. If you want to indulge in medicated edibles, the 420 Bank Dispensary has an excellent selection available at their sales counter.

Please also note they are providing us our private lounge and use of the entire facilities gratis so like you do not bring your own bottle of Jack Daniels when you go to a bar, please do not bring your own cannabis.The 420 Bank is a licensed dispensary that has an amazing variety of all kinds of cannabis from the finest buds, intoxicating oils to the strongest of concentrates as well as delicious edibles.

Since Dec. 21 is also the Winter Solstice (the day with the shortest period of daylight and longest night of the year) which is a pagan holiday dating back 5,000 years, it will be a double celebration with MAPP’s 25^th Anniversary party. Please send me an email ([email protected]) or phone me at 760-799-2055 and let me know you and how many others will be coming so we can plan properly.

Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project
https://www.marijuananews.org/