27 Sep How a Pie Thrown by the Founder of High Times Helped Protect Freedom of the Press
Sometimes cannabis history is stranger than fiction.
More than 50 years ago, future High Times founder Tom Forçade pushed a pie into the face of a federal commissioner during a protest. The stunt made headlines—but it also became part of the government’s justification for denying him a White House press credential.
Forçade did not quietly accept that decision. He sued.
That legal fight eventually helped establish protections that a federal judge relied on when ordering the Trump administration to restore White House access to CNN, MS NOW and Politico.
Yes, you read that correctly: a protest involving a pie, a cannabis-media pioneer and a decades-old lawsuit helped shape a modern victory for freedom of the press.
From “Pie Power” to the Federal Courts
Before creating High Times in 1974, Forçade worked with the Underground Press Syndicate, a network connecting hundreds of alternative newspapers.
In 1970, he appeared before the U.S. Commission on Obscenity and Pornography. After delivering a statement condemning the commission, Forçade pressed a pie into commissioner Otto N. Larsen’s face and distributed flyers declaring “pie power.”
When Forçade later applied for White House press access, the Secret Service denied him for broadly stated security reasons. Officials did not provide clear standards or give him a meaningful opportunity to challenge the decision.
Forçade and journalist Robert Sherrill took the government to court. Their case began as Forcade v. Knight and later became the landmark appellate decision Sherrill v. Knight.
The courts concluded that the government could not arbitrarily exclude qualified journalists. If officials denied White House credentials, they generally needed to provide notice, explain the factual basis and give the journalist an opportunity to respond.
Why This Cannabis Story Still Matters
The case did not create unlimited access to the White House. Legitimate security rules still apply.
But it established an essential principle: government officials cannot use press credentials to secretly punish journalists or silence viewpoints they dislike.
That principle matters far beyond Washington.
Cannabis journalists and advocates have spent decades challenging official narratives about marijuana prohibition, medical cannabis, criminal justice and personal freedom. Publications such as High Times covered stories that much of the traditional media ignored or dismissed.
Forçade’s fight showed that alternative journalists deserve constitutional protections too. Decades later, the precedent connected to his case helped defend reporters working for some of the largest news organizations in the country.
The outsiders helped protect everybody.
Read the Full Story
How did a counterculture publisher, a protest pie and a disputed White House press pass become part of a First Amendment precedent that still shapes American journalism?
Read the complete story on the Suncoast NORML website.
Suncoast NORML’s full report explains the history of Forcade v. Knight, how it became Sherrill v. Knight and why the case resurfaced during the latest fight over White House press access.
This article is provided for news and educational purposes.
No Comments