John Pylka

Who is John Pylka?

John Pylka is the event coordinator for the Washington, DC Smoke-In, the longest-running annual demonstration in support of drug policy reform in the United States.

Founded in 1970, the Smoke-In is now the longest-running annual demonstration in support of drug policy reform in the United States. John Pylka has been the event coordinator for the Smoke-In since 1983, when he booked the band The Dead Kennedys for the July 3–4 "Rock for Watt?" demonstration. In 1985 John was arrested at the White House Smoke-In for attempting to pass out joints. He was sentenced to one year of probation and continued to organize the Smoke-In through his nonprofit oversight committee, "The Fourth of July Hemp Coalition," which he founded in 1992. In addition to working with NORML on the Hemplation CD Tour Project and being named High Times Freedom Fighter of the Month in 1994, he won the right in Federal court to be recognized as one of the "Golden Nine" organizations allowed to sell T-shirts on the National Mall. During the past 12 years he has been focusing on medical cannabis issues, particularly the struggle to legalize the medical use of marijuana in the District of Columbia.