End Marijuana Prohibition, Washington DC High Noon, Friday July 4, 2003, Lafayette Park

Washington DC: Fourth of July Hemp Coalition, 2003. Very good +. 14" x 8½". Small poster illustrated recto, text on verso. Very good plus: light edge and corner wear and just a hint of waviness.

This quirky poster advertising the 2003 Fourth of July smoke-in at Lafayette Park in Washington DC was illustrated by artist Steve Marcus. Also known as "smarcus," his work may seem familiar as it covered a range of media, including cover art for "High Times", pieces on MTV and the Cartoon Network, animation for the Red Hot Chili Peppers Californication tour, and even a 4' x 2' stained glass piece for the Mesivta Tifereth Jerusalem yeshiva in New York City. When he first delved into the celebration of cannabis through his art, it was 1992 and the government had a hardline stance on drug use, including marijuana. Mainstream public approval that embraced the drug's medicinal benefits was still years away, making his outlaw art even more attractive to an underground subculture. The turnaround in marijuana acceptance in recent years makes this creation exceptionally comical, as the characters portrayed in the poster invite the public to relax and smoke, casually sporting gas masks on the lawn of the Washington Monument. Multiple warnings on the verso of the poster remind attendees, ". . . if you decide to smoke marijuana at the rally, you will be breaking the law, and you might be arrested. There is no permit to consume marijuana: no such thing exists," and even provided instructions on how to handle yourself and what to do if you were arrested.

Compelling and colorful imagery promoting civil disobedience towards the legalization of marijuana.