Dana Beal

File:Dana Beal 1994.jpg

File:Jack Herer and Dana Beal. 1989 Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Fest in Madison Wisconsin.jpg and Beal at the September 1989 Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Fest in Madison, Wisconsin, organized by fellow Yippie and legalization activist Ben Masel.]]

Beal was born in Ravenna, Ohio, in 1947. In August 1963, he hitch-hiked to Washington, D.C., to attend the March on Washington and heard Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. In October 1963, Beal organized a demonstration of 2000 people to protest the Ku Klux Klan's 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham.The Ibogaine Story: Report on the Staten Island Project. [http://www.erowid.org/library/books/ibogaine_story.shtml] 1997 book by Paul De Rienzo, Dana Beal, and Project Members. Publisher: Autonomedia. {{ISBN|978-1-57027-029-1}}. The full text is online:{{cite web |title=The Ibogaine Story - Chapter 4 |url=http://www.cures-not-wars.org/ibogaine/chap04.html |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080221181049/http://www.cures-not-wars.org/ibogaine/chap04.html |archivedate=2008-02-21 |accessdate=2011-12-14}}. The text can also be searched online here: [https://books.google.com/books?id=I4MFAAAACAAJ&dq=isbn:9781570270291][https://www.amazon.com/dp/1570270295]. Chapter 4 is titled "Dana Beal" and is a biography of him.{{cite web |title=The Ibogaine Story - Chapter 4 |url=http://www.cures-not-wars.org/ibogaine/chap04.html |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080221181049/http://www.cures-not-wars.org/ibogaine/chap04.html |archivedate=2008-02-21 |accessdate=2011-12-14}}

In 1971, The New York Times referred to Beal as a "major theoretician and behind‐the‐scenes leader of the underground youth movement.":

Beal was described in interviews as a founder of several radical youth groups, including the Yippies, and as organizer of many "pro‐pot" demonstrations, such as the second annual smoke‐in and anti‐C.I.A. heroin march held in Washington July 4.

His friends and associates identified Beal, who does not use his first name, Irvin, as one of the first movement writers to argue for a merger of political radicalism and the psychedelic life style ... Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin, Yippie leaders who garnered national attention during the 1968 Democratic convention demonstrations, agreed in separate telephone interviews that Beal was an important figure in the movement.

"He is a unique blend of a street person and a theoretician," said Mr. Hoffman. "His writings are far more important and impressive than people like me and Jerry Rubin."

Mr. Rubin said Beal's writings "were a strong force in helping us understand who we are." ... Mr. Hoffman and Mr. Rubin said Beal's most important works were "Right on Culture Freaks" and "Weather Yippie," which were rèprinted in more than 100 underground newspapers in this country and abroad.

The articles called for more militancy on the part of young radicals but criticized what Beal saw as the élitism and lack of humanity in the more violent radical groups.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/07/26/archives/a-major-yippie-theorist-seized-on-drug-charges.html|title=A Major Yippie Theorist Seized on Drug Charges|via=NYTimes.com|page=16|work=The New York Times|date=26 July 1971}}[https://www10.dict.cc/wp_examples.php?lp_id=1&lang=en&s=culture%20wars Written by Beal in 1969, "Right On, Culture Freaks" has been identified as possibly the first use of the term "Culture Wars"]

Dana Beal also helped organize some of the U.S. versions of the "Rock Against Racism" concerts.{{Cite book|title=Blacklisted News: Secret Histories from Chicago, '68, to 1984 | author=New Yippie Book Collective | isbn=9780912873008 |publisher=Bleecker Publishing|date=1983}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bkh4KTy69REC&q=dayton+ohio+yippies&pg=PA79|title=I, Shithead: A Life in Punk|author=Joe Keithley|author-link=Joe Keithley|publisher=Arsenal Pulp Press, Vancouver|date=2003|isbn=9781551521480}}{{cite web|url=http://internationaltimes.it/dana-beal-interview/|website=International Times|author=Viola, Saira|title=Dana Beal Interview|access-date=25 August 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://www.brianwebster.com/RARUSA.html|title=Rock Against Racism USA|author=Webster, Brian|website=BrianWebster.com|publisher=Brian Webster and Associates|access-date=9 April 2018}}

File:Dana Beal, mid-90s v2.jpg

The worldwide Global Million Marijuana March (GMM or MMM) event began in 1999 with Beal as the major organizer.{{cite web|url=https://cannabisparade.org/history/|title=A Brief History of the NYC Cannabis Parade|author=A. Yippie|website=CannabisParade.org|access-date=2017-12-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010005429/https://cannabisparade.org/history/|archive-date=2017-10-10|url-status=dead}} It now takes place in hundreds of cities around the world in addition to New York City, which has had various marijuana rallies since 1967.[http://cannabisnews.com/news/9/thread9552.shtml "Yippie Central"]. By Colin Moynihan, The New York Times. April 29, 2001. Article on Dana Beal.[https://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/03/nyregion/pot-smokers-march-is-out-of-the-park.html "Pot Smokers' March Is Out of the Park"]. By Mike Allen. May 3, 1998. The New York Times.{{cite web|url=http://gvshp.org/blog/2016/04/20/from-sip-ins-to-smoke-ins-marijuana-and-the-village/|title=From Sip-Ins to Smoke-ins…Marijuana and the Village|website=OffTheGrid : Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation|author=Morowitz, Matthew|date=20 April 2016 |access-date=2016-04-20}}

Beal has a long history of marijuana activism{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/hempmarijuanacon0000here|author=Jack Herer|author-link=Jack Herer|title=The Emperor Wears No Clothes : The Authoritative Historical Record of the Cannabis Plant, Marijuana Prohibition & How Hemp Can Still Save the World|isbn=978-1878125002|publisher=Hemp Publishing|date=1985|url-access=registration}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qo6YDgAAQBAJ&q=dana+beal+activism&pg=PT25|title=Grass Roots: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Marijuana in America|author=Emily Dufton|publisher=Basic Books|isbn=978-0465096169|date=5 December 2017}}{{cite book|title=Resistance: A Radical Political and Social History of the Lower East Side|author=Clayton Patterson|isbn=9781583227459|publisher=Seven Stories Press|date=2007|page=xxxii}} both inside and outside of New York City,{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=znj2HDJG74QC&q=yippies+1988&pg=PA18|title=Envisioning Ecotopia: The U.S. Green Movement and the Politics of Radical Social Change|author=Kenn Kassman|publisher=Praeger Publishers, Westport, CT|page=18|date=1997|isbn=9780275957841}}{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/pro-pot-anti-trump-activists-say-they-face-1960s-level-violence|title=Pro-pot, anti-Trump activists say they face 1960s-level violence|author=Barillas, Mariana|website=Washington Examiner|publisher=The Washington Examiner|access-date=20 May 2016}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m8WqcRw9zzwC&q=dana+beal&pg=PA27|title=I, Doll: Life and Death with the New York Dolls|author=Arthur Kane|publisher=Chicago Review Press, Chicago, IL|page=27|date=2009|isbn=978-1-55652-941-2}} The first-ever concert by the proto-punk band the New York Dolls, was a Yippie benefit to raise funds to pay legal fees for one of Beal's marijuana arrests in the 1970s and has often been called "The Lenin of the Marijuana Movement".Marcelle Clements, The Dog Is Us, and other observations, p.46-47, Penguin Books, 1987. {{ISBN|978-0140084450}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-Qy2JRrjw50C&q=dana+beal&pg=PA4|title=Reefer Madness: A History of Marijuana|author=Larry "Ratso" Sloman|page=4|publisher=St. Martin's Griffin, New York|date=1979|isbn=0-312-19523-0}} "Dana Beal is the Lenin of pot. And probably the Stalin and Trotsky too." In July 1972 in Miami Beach, Florida Beal was one of the organizers of a Zippie-led marijuana smoke-in outside the 1972 Democratic Convention.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FrEqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=k2YEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2989,3327051&dq=dana+beal&hl=en Marijuana Smoke-in Held Outside Convention Hall]. July 10, 1972. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

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Beal has promoted ibogaine as an addiction interrupter.{{cite web|url=http://gonzotoday.com/2015/08/29/marijuana-ibogaine-activist-dana-beal/|title=Marijuana & Ibogaine Activist Dana Beal|website=Gonzo Today|author=Lee, Brandon|access-date=29 August 2015|archive-date=30 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150830045847/http://gonzotoday.com/2015/08/29/marijuana-ibogaine-activist-dana-beal/|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://thestonedsociety.com/featured/dana-beal-hippies-yippies-zippies-beatnicks/|title=Hippies, Yippies, Zippies and Beatnicks – A Conversation with Dana Beal|author=Arnett, Andrew|website=TheStonedSociety.com|publisher=The Stoned Society|access-date=21 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221230442/https://thestonedsociety.com/featured/dana-beal-hippies-yippies-zippies-beatnicks/|archive-date=21 December 2018|url-status=dead}} Beal asserts that addiction is a disease that can be treated with ibogaine.[http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/ibogaine/ibogaine_article3.shtml "Ibogaine: A Novel Anti-Addictive Compound. A Comprehensive Literature Review"].

by Jonathan Freedlander. Journal of Drug Education and Awareness, 2003; 1:79-98.{{cite web|url=https://medium.com/orange-beef-press/dana-beal-wants-to-cure-heroin-addiction-with-ibogaine-400b2535c39|publisher=Orange Beef Press|website=Medium|author=Arnett, Andrew|title=Dana Beal Wants To Cure Heroin Addiction With Ibogaine|access-date=6 July 2016}}

Beal helped to organize the Boston Ibogaine forum held in February 2009 at Northeastern University. During the forum, he gave a presentation on the chemistry and pharmacology of ibogaine.{{cite web|url=https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2009/mar/13/feature_boston_ibogaine_forum_sh|title=Feature: The Boston Ibogaine Forum -- from Shamanism to Cutting Edge Science|author=Smith, P.|website=StopTheDrugWar.org|publisher=Drug War Chronicle|access-date=13 March 2009}} Beal also participated in the Ibogaine Forum held at the University of Otago, New Zealand, on 5 and 6 September 2009,{{cite web|url=http://chrisfowlie.com/2009/09/dana-beal-yippie-for-drug-treatment/|title=Dana Beal: Yippie for drug treatment!|author=Fowlie, Chris|website=ChrisFowlie.com|access-date=21 September 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130912005347/http://chrisfowlie.com/2009/09/dana-beal-yippie-for-drug-treatment/|archive-date=12 September 2013|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/forum-debates-use-ibogaine|title=Forum debates use of Ibogaine|website=Otago Daily Times|author=Constantine, Ellie|date=7 September 2009 |access-date=7 September 2009}} as well as a similar information-session in the Netherlands in 2017.{{cite web|url=http://mezrab.nl/events/talk-and-discussion-about-ibogaine-with-dana-beal/|title=TALK AND DISCUSSION ABOUT IBOGAINE WITH DANA BEAL|website=Mezrab.nl|publisher=Mezrab|access-date=8 March 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.psychedelicsocietynl.org/facebook-event/talk-and-discussion-about-ibogaine-with-dana-beal|title=Talk and discussion about Ibogaine with Dana Beal|website=psychedelicsocietynl.org|publisher=Psychedelic Society of the Netherlands|date=2017}}

Beal also helped to organize the European Ibogaine Forum, September 2017 in Vienna.{{cite web|url=http://iboga.info/12109-2/|title=European Ibogaine Forum : Dana Beal|website=European Ibogaine Forum|access-date=8 September 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://ssdp.org/blog/impressions-2017-european-ibogaine-forum/|author=Agliata, Jake|title=IMPRESSIONS FROM THE 2017 EUROPEAN IBOGAINE FORUM|website=ssdp.org|date=8 November 2017 |publisher=Students for Sensible Drug Policy|access-date=8 November 2017}}

Beal's "Cures Not Wars" site included information on the Global Marijuana March and the use of Ibogaine in addiction treatment.{{cite web |url=http://www.cures-not-wars.org |title=Cures Not Wars |accessdate=April 28, 2008 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080428020807/http://www.cures-not-wars.org/ |archivedate=April 28, 2008 }}. Dana Beal website. He also works on behalf of people with AIDS and cancer who frequently require medical marijuana. Dana Beal was given an Honorary Board Seat on the 'New York State Committee To Legalize Marijuana' on 4/20/2015 by Dennis Levy, the HIV+ African American President.{{Cite web |url=http://positivelinks.com/nysctlm.html |title=New York State Committee to Legalize Marijuana |access-date=2018-04-03 |archive-date=2016-02-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204231235/http://positivelinks.com/nysctlm.html |url-status=dead }}

In 2015, prompted by New York's Compassionate Care Act, Beal organized a patients' rights group, which drafted a bill requesting that NYC's City Council administer users' cooperatives for patients who need medical marijuana:

"We're trying to set up a five-borough patients co-op for people with serious maladies, including ones that aren't on the state list," says Dana Beal, a longtime cannabis activist and one of about ten contributors to the bill. "The law and the regulations don't cover people who are [also] legitimate patients. We believe that under home rule, we can extend better availability and better prices to more people.{{cite web|url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2015/09/14/this-group-wants-new-york-city-to-set-up-its-own-medical-marijuana-program/|title=This Group Wants New York City to Set Up Its Own Medical Marijuana Program|author=Margolin, Madison|website=VillageVoice.com|date=14 September 2015 |publisher=The Village Voice|access-date=14 September 2015}}

During the 2016 US presidential election-campaign, Beal organized a demonstration in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in which pro-cannabis activists carried a 51-foot, inflatable marijuana joint to a Hillary Clinton rally, while also passing around "an open letter to Hillary Clinton" asking her to remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act.{{cite web|url=https://www.psymposia.com/magazine/activists-51-foot-joint-clinton/|title=Activists Bring 51-Foot Joint to Hillary Clinton|website=Psymposia.com|author=Lekhtman, Alexander|date=19 August 2016 |access-date=19 August 2016}}

In 2004, the infamous Yippie "headquarters" at #9 Bleecker Street in New York City (also Beal's home for decades){{cite web|url=http://thevillager.com/2018/02/25/yippies-vs-zippies-new-jerry-rubin-book-reveals-70s-counterculture-feud/|title=Yippies vs. Zippies: New Rubin book reveals '70s counterculture feud|author=Reinholz, Mary|publisher=The Villager (Manhattan)|website=TheVillager.com|access-date=25 February 2018}} officially became the Yippie Museum and Cafe and was legally chartered by the Board of Regents of New York State at their March 21, 2006, meeting.[http://yippiecafe.blogspot.com/ The Yippie Museum Cafe] - Youth International Party Its stated purpose was to preserve the activities and artifacts of the Youth International Party.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/01/garden/yippies-answer-to-smoke-filled-rooms.html|title=Yippies' Answer to Smoke-Filled Rooms|work=The New York Times|author=Leland, John|date=May 2003 |access-date=2003-05-01}}{{cite web|url=http://www.nysun.com/article/29241|title=Yippies Apply for a Piece of Establishment|author=Kolben, Deborah|website=New York Sun|access-date=2006-03-16}}{{cite web|url=http://thevillager.com/villager_185/stealthiscoffeehouse.html|title=Steal This Coffeehouse : Yippies Revive the 60s Vibe|website=The Villager|author=Haught, Lori|access-date=2006-11-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070907205559/http://www.thevillager.com/villager_185/stealthiscoffeehouse.html|archive-date=2007-09-07|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/nyregion/thecity/20yipp.html|title=At the Yippie Museum, It's Parrots and Flannel|author=Bleyer, Jennifer|work=The New York Times|date=20 January 2008 |access-date=2008-01-20}} Beal served on the museum/cafe's Board of Directors.

In January 2014, the 9 Bleecker Street building went into foreclosure.{{cite web|url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/09/loan-dispute-threatens-a-countercultural-soapbox/?_r=0|title=Loan Dispute Threatens a Countercultural Soapbox|work=The New York Times|author=Moynihan, Colin|access-date=2013-06-09}}{{cite web|url=https://www.celebstoner.com/blogs/preston-peet/2014/01/17/requiem-for-yippie-stronghold,-9-bleecker/|title=Requiem for Yippie Stronghold, 9 Bleecker|website=CelebStoner|author=Peet, Preston|access-date=2014-01-17}} The old Yippie building was cleaned out{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/17/nyregion/emptying-a-building-long-home-to-activists.html|title=Emptying a Building Long Home to Activists|website=The New York Times|first=Colin |last=Moynihan|access-date=2014-01-16}} and is now a boxing club called "Overthrow".{{cite web|url=https://overthrownyc.com/about/|title=About OVERTHROW|website=OverthrowNYC.com|access-date=15 June 2021}}

Beal was arrested June 3, 2008, in Mattoon, Illinois, about 170 miles south of Chicago on suspicion of money laundering.[https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/10/us/10brfs-YIPPIELEADER_BRF.html?ref=us "Illinois: Yippie Leader Faces Charges"]. By Colin Moynihan. June 10, 2008. The New York Times. The Associated Press reported that he appeared before a judge on June 12, and was charged with obstruction of justice. He was released on $7,500 bail.[http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-yippiearrested,0,342799.story "New York medical pot advocate leaves Illinois jail on bail"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080630091936/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-yippiearrested,0,342799.story |date=2008-06-30 }}. By the Associated Press. June 12, 2008. Chicago Tribune.

According to The New York Times, police responded to a report of two women arguing at a restaurant. The 2 women were traveling with Beal and another man. Mick McAvoy is the first assistant state's attorney for Coles County, Illinois. According to the Times, "Mr. McAvoy said witnesses told the police that Mr. Beal had placed bags beneath nearby vehicles. Mr. McAvoy said the police found two duffel bags containing more than $150,000 in cash. At that point, Mr. McAvoy said, a drug-sniffing dog was brought in to smell the bags." According to Beal's attorney, Ronald Tulin of Charleston, Illinois, the police said the money smelled of marijuana.[https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/nyregion/11yippie.html "A Yippie Veteran Is in Jail Far From the East Village"]. By Colin Moynihan. June 11, 2008. The New York Times. Beal has always said that the money was en route to support an ibogaine-based drug treatment clinic in Mexico.{{Cite web |title=Ibogaine Treatment Clinic in Cozumel Mexico - MindScape Retreat |url=https://www.ibogainetreatmentclinic.com/ |access-date=2024-06-27 |website=Ibogaine Treatment C |language=en}}

On August 6, 2008, Judge Richard Scott found probable cause for a jury trial for Irvin Dana Beal, 61, of New York City and Jesse Balcom, 31, of Silver Spring, Maryland. The trial began in November 2008 on obstruction of justice charges, because it was alleged that Beal and his associate were hiding the bags of money in expectation that the police might search their van.

[http://www.jg-tc.com/articles/2008/08/07/news/doc489baef832cd3219167263.txt "Trial for Beal in Nov. for alleged cash stashing"]. August 7, 2008. By Herb Meeker. Journal Gazette and Times-Courier (of Charleston, Illinois). The outcome of the trial was that Beal pleaded guilty to misdemeanor marijuana possession and was fined $1,300. Obstruction of justice charges were dismissed. Federal authorities are seeking forfeiture of the money involved.[http://www.jg-tc.com/articles/2009/05/20/news/doc4a12e5ee82b22679588197.txt "Beal pleads guilty to marijuana charge"]. By Dave Fopay. May 19, 2009. Journal Gazette and Times-Courier.

Dana Beal, Christopher Ryan, and James Statzer were arrested at 10:35 p.m. on September 30, 2009, in Ashland, Nebraska. Police claim that they were stopped because the conversion van they were in was driving erratically, and because the rear license plate was obstructed. Police allegedly found 150 pounds of marijuana in the van. All 3 faced charges of possession with intent to deliver and having no drug tax stamp.[http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6668#Nebraska State Tax Stamp Data for Nebraska]. From NORML. Ryan and Statzer were held on $100,000 bond each. Beal was held on $500,000 bond. According to the Omaha World-Herald, Saunders County Attorney Scott Tingelhoff said that there was an effort on the web to raise Beal's bail.[https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=143405647913 FREE DANA BEAL]. A group on Facebook.[http://freedanabeal.blogspot.com/2009/10/help-free-dana-beal.html HELP FREE DANA BEAL] He had to raise 10 percent ($50,000) in order to be released.[http://www.ketv.com/news/21173912/detail.html "Saunders Co. Officers Make Record Pot Bust"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222064343/http://www.ketv.com/news/21173912/detail.html |date=2012-02-22 }}. October 1, 2009. KETV.[http://omahanewsstand.com/articles/2009/10/04/the_ashland_gazette/news/doc4ac4f403c6eca119633360.txt "Another Ashland drug bust breaks record"]{{dead link|date=January 2014}}. By Suzi Nelson. October 1, 2009. Ashland Gazette.[http://www.omaha.com/article/20091006/NEWS01/710079909 "Pot advocate jailed"] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120907052246/http://www.omaha.com/article/20091006/NEWS01/710079909 |date=2012-09-07 }}. By Suzi Nelson. October 6, 2009. Omaha World-Herald.[http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/603/dana_beal_arrested_marijuana_nebraska "Law Enforcement: Veteran Activist Dana Beal Busted in Nebraska -- Supporters Rallying to Help"]. October 9, 2009. Drug War Chronicle.

Beal was represented in his case by Glenn Shapiro of the law firm Schaefer and Shapiro in Omaha, Nebraska.

Dana Beal was arrested on Jan. 6, 2011 with 186 pounds of marijuana during a traffic stop in Barneveld, Wisconsin. He and driver Lance Ramer of Omaha, Nebraska, were held on $50,000 bond each in the Iowa County Jail in Dodgeville. Authorities won't release the police report because Federal officials say it might compromise a national drug investigation which runs "from California to New York, with multiple locations."[http://www.celebstoner.com/201101105540/news/drug-bust-news/dana-beal-busted-in-wisconsin.html Dana Beal Busted, Jailed in Wisconsin]. Celeb Stoner, Jan. 10, 2011. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110114073302/http://www.celebstoner.com/201101105540/news/drug-bust-news/dana-beal-busted-in-wisconsin.html |date=January 14, 2011 }}[http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/crime_and_courts/article_460b5ad4-1fa1-11e0-b706-001cc4c002e0.html Counter-culture 'yippie' with Madison ties in jail on pot charges in Iowa County]. By Todd Finkelmeyer. The Capital Times, Jan. 14, 2011.[http://www.channel3000.com/news/26418769/detail.html Authorities Make Major Drug Bust In Iowa County] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110113112435/http://www.channel3000.com/news/26418769/detail.html |date=January 13, 2011 }}. WISC-TV (CBS affiliate television station for Madison, Wisconsin). Jan. 11, 2011.

On September 20, 2011, Dana Beal was sentenced to {{frac|2|1|2}} years in prison. He was credited with 267 days already served for the time he was in jail. He was also sentenced to {{frac|2|1|2}} years parole after getting out of prison.[http://www.thedodgevillechronicle.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=8&ArticleID=1869 Beal gets prison, extended supervision]. By J. Patrick Reilly. September 22, 2011. The Dodgeville Chronicle.[https://www.facebook.com/groups/143405647913 Free Dana Beal, Free Ourselves]. Facebook group.

On September 27, 2011, the day he was to be transferred to a state prison in Wisconsin, Beal suffered a heart attack. He had a double bypass operation a week later. Due to the health issues and costs Beal was released on bail while in the hospital. He was re-sentenced on December 29. His prison sentence was reduced by six months.[http://cannabis.hawaiinewsdaily.com/2011/09/29/activist-dana-beal-sentenced-suffers-heart-attack-2 Activist Dana Beal Sentenced, Suffers Heart Attack] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002034418/http://cannabis.hawaiinewsdaily.com/2011/09/29/activist-dana-beal-sentenced-suffers-heart-attack-2|date=2011-10-02}}. [http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2011/sep/28/activist_dana_beal_sentenced_suf]. By Phillip Smith. September 28, 2011. Hawai'i News Daily.[http://www.tokeofthetown.com/2011/10/activist_legend_avoids_marijuana_sentence_--_with.php Activist Legend Avoids Marijuana Sentence -- With Heart Attack]. By Steve Elliott. Toke of the Town. October 27, 2011.[http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/education/campus_connection/iowa-county-frees-jailed-former-yippie-rather-than-pay-his/article_d22a58a4-1c57-11e1-bd76-001871e3ce6c.html Iowa County frees jailed former 'yippie' rather than pay his medical expenses]. By Todd Finkelmeyer. December 3, 2011. The Capital Times.[http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/education/campus_connection/beal-to-be-resentenced-in-iowa-county/article_3dd38290-24d4-11e1-a3b6-0019bb2963f4.html Beal to be resentenced in Iowa County]. By Todd Finkelmeyer. December 12, 2011. The Capital Times.{{cite web|url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/a-yippie-on-familiar-turf-both-in-new-york-and-in-jail/|title=A Yippie on Familiar Turf, Both in New York and in Jail|website=The New York Times|author=Kilgannon, Corey|date=20 January 2012 |access-date=20 January 2012}}

Beal turned himself in to the Wisconsin prison system on February 15, 2012, to begin serving his sentence. One week later he had another, minor, heart attack. The next day a stent was placed in a coronary artery.

On April 20, 2012, Beal was moved to the Saunders County jail in Wahoo, Nebraska, where he had a bench trial later that year, on August 27 related to the 2009 arrest.{{cite web|url=https://www.thevillager.com/2012/08/beal-pleads-guilty-but-med-defense-not-up-in-smoke/|title=Beal pleads guilty, but med defense not up in smoke|author=DeRienzo, Paul|publisher=The Villager (Manhattan)|website=TheVillager.com|date=30 August 2012 |access-date=30 August 2012}} On December 10, 2012, Judge Mary Gilbride sentenced Beal to 4 to 6 years in prison in Nebraska.{{cite web|url=https://www.tokeofthetown.com/2012/06/yippie_dana_beal_fights_for_his_freedom_on_marijua.php/|title=Yippie Dana Beal Fights For His Freedom On Marijuana Charges|website=Toke of the Town|author=Elliott, Steve|date=12 June 2012 |access-date=12 June 2012}} An appeal was filed.{{cite web|url=https://www.thevillager.com/2012/12/nebraska-burns-beal-gives-pot-activist-4-to-6-in-the-joint|title=Nebraska burns Beal; Gives pot activist 4 to 6 in the joint|author=DeRienzo, Paul|publisher=The Villager (Manhattan)|website=TheVillager.com|date=28 December 2012 |access-date=28 December 2012}}[http://www.omaha.com/article/20121210/NEWS/712109921 Yippie activist sentenced, gets prison time for hauling pot] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130131182948/http://www.omaha.com/article/20121210/NEWS/712109921 |date=2013-01-31 }}. By Paul Hammel, 10 December 2012, Omaha World-Herald.[http://www.ketv.com/news/local-news/Marijuana-advocate-jailed/-/9674510/17725246/-/item/1/-/8hb9xbz/-/index.html Marijuana advocate jailed] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121212084701/http://www.ketv.com/news/local-news/Marijuana-advocate-jailed/-/9674510/17725246/-/item/1/-/8hb9xbz/-/index.html |date=2012-12-12 }}, on 10 December 2012, KETV Omaha. On 26 December 2012 Dana was moved from Nebraska back to Fox Lake Correctional Institution in Wisconsin.

High Times account of the arrest of cannabis activist Dana Beal in December, 2017:

{{quote|High Times' sources indicate the bust was on Highway 36, near the Humboldt-Trinity county line. This connects with Route 299, the main road that links Humboldt County on the coast to Interstate 5 in the Central Valley, over the rugged Trinity Alps.

The quantity Beal was caught with (22 lbs) usually results in an "own recognizance" release in Trinity County, meaning no bail. But this time, bail has reportedly been set at a steep $75,000—possibly due to Beal's notoriety and past record.

Beal is said to face two charges: misdemeanor possession of cannabis for sale and felony attempt to transport marijuana across state lines. His driver was also charged, identified as Michigan resident James Statzer.

Beal and Statzer have been arrested together before—most recently, a year ago this week in Oregon, after a state trooper stopped them for driving outside the line and over the speed limit. A search turned up 55 pounds of marijuana. In June, the Clackamas County district attorney declined to prosecute the case, citing irregularities in the search.{{cite web|url=https://hightimes.com/news/veteran-cannabis-activist-dana-beal-busted-again/|title=Veteran Cannabis Activist Dana Beal Busted—Yet Again|website=High Times News|author=Weinberg, Bill|date=19 December 2017 |publisher=High Times|access-date=19 December 2017}}}}

Beal and Statzer both entered pleas of not guilty.{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/n-y-medical-pot-activist-pleads-not-guilty-cannabis-charges-article-1.3709897|title=N.Y. medical marijuana activist pleads not guilty to trying to transport 22 pounds of pot in California|author=Dillon, Nancy|website=nydailynews.com|date=19 December 2017 |publisher=New York Daily News|access-date=19 December 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.thecannabist.co/2017/12/21/irvin-dana-beal-marijuana-activist-california-arrest/95081/|website=The Cannabist|title=Long-time marijuana activist faces charges in California|author=Thompson, Don|date=21 December 2017 |publisher=Associated Press|access-date=21 December 2017}} Beal was later released on bail.{{cite web|url=http://thevillager.com/2018/04/05/scoopys-notebook-week-of-april-5-2018/|title=Scoopy's Notebook, Week of April 5, 2018|author=Scoopy|publisher=The Villager (Manhattan)|website=TheVillager.com|access-date=5 April 2018}} His lawyer had successfully argued that given age and health issues, he was not a flight risk. Statzer was also released on bail.{{cite web|url=http://thevillager.com/2017/12/22/dana-beal-pot-icon-freed-on-bail-after-california-bust/|title=Dana Beal, pot icon, freed on bail after California bust|publisher=The Villager (Manhattan)|website=TheVillager.com|author=Anderson, Lincoln|date=22 December 2017 |access-date=22 December 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://bedfordandbowery.com/2018/01/ibogaine-activist-dana-beal-on-his-arrest-for-pot-trafficking-im-just-trying-to-complete-my-mission/|author=Reinholz, Mary|title=Ibogaine Activist Dana Beal On His Arrest For Pot Trafficking: 'I'm Just Trying to Complete My Mission'|website=Bedford + Bowery|date=5 January 2018 |access-date=5 January 2018}}

In 2023, Beal travelled to Ukraine to promote ibogaine treatment for war veterans.{{cite web|url=https://theintercept.com/2024/01/17/ukraine-military-psychedelic-drug-ibogaine/ |last=Grim |first=Ryan |date=2024-01-17 |title=The Ukrainian Military Is Experimenting With Psychedelic Drug Ibogaine to Treat Traumatic Brain Injuries|access-date=2024-01-30 |website=The Intercept |language=en-US}} He was reportedly detained when returning to the US in September 2023.{{cite web|url=https://thevillagesun.com/dana-beal-pot-godfather-goes-from-ibogaine-in-ukraine-to-idaho-weed-bust |last=Anderson |first=Lincoln |title=Dana Beal goes from ibogaine in Ukraine to pot bust in Idaho|access-date=2024-01-30 |website=The Village Sun |date=18 January 2024 |language=en-US}} He was subsequently arrested in Gooding County, Idaho in January 2024, and held on $250,000 bail.{{cite web|url=https://www.celebstoner.com/news/drug-bust-news/2024/01/16/dana-beal-arrested-marijuana-trafficking-idaho|author=Bloom, Steve|title=Cannabis Activist Dana Beal Busted for Marijuana Trafficking in Idaho|website=CelebStoner.com|language=en-US|access-date=16 January 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/janetwburns/2024/01/24/renowned-cannabis-and-ibogaine-activist-arrested-in-idaho-speaks-out/|author=Burns, Janet|title=Renowned Cannabis And Ibogaine Activist Jailed In Idaho Speaks Out|work=Forbes|language=en-US|access-date=24 January 2024}}

As of March 13, 2024, Beal is free on bail,{{cite web|url=https://www.celebstoner.com/news/drug-bust-news/2024/03/13/dana-beal-arrested-marijuana-trafficking-idaho/|title=Cannabis Activist Dana Beal Bailed Out in Idaho|author=Bloom, Steve|website=CelebStoner.com|access-date=13 March 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/26/nyregion/dana-beal-marijuana-legalization.html|title=A Legal Pot Pioneer Was Busted in Idaho With 56 Pounds. He Has a Plan.|author=Kilgannon, Corey|website=The New York Times|access-date=26 March 2024}} but not permitted to leave the US.{{cite web|url=https://thevillagesun.com/smoked-out-dana-beal-freed-on-bail|title=Smoked out: Dana Beal freed on bail|author=Anderson, Lincoln|access-date=13 March 2024|website=TheVillageSun.com|date=13 March 2024 }}

In Spring 2018, Dana Beal supported New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon, who spoke at the yearly New York City Cannabis parade in support of legalization.{{cite web|url=https://www.shutterstock.com/editorial/image-editorial/cannabis-parade-new-york-usa-05-may-2018-9663801ac|author=Volcov, William|title=Cannabis parade, New York, USA - 05 May 2018 : Cynthia Nixon and political activist Dana Beal|website=Shutterstock|access-date=5 May 2018}}

In Spring 2021, Beal organized "Joints for Jabs NYC" in Union Square,{{cite web|url=https://beyondthc.com/new-york-times-salutes-dana-beal/|title=New York Times Salutes Dana Beal|website=BeyondTHC.com|publisher=O'Shaughnessy's Online|date=May 2021}} encouraging vaccination against COVID-19:

[On] April 20, volunteers organized by Mr. Beal, members of the group ACT UP and others handed out more than a thousand joints to people who could show that they were at least 21 and had received a Covid vaccine. A similar distribution is planned for May 1 to coincide with an annual May Day marijuana march held in Manhattan.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/29/nyregion/dana-beal-marijuana-activist.html|author=Moynihan, Colin|title=He Fought for Decades to Make Marijuana Legal. Now What?|website=The New York Times|date=29 April 2021 |access-date=29 April 2021}}

As of October 2022, Beal was actively searching for a new home--as well as a method of manufacturing Ibogaine in mass-market pill form.{{cite web|url=https://thevillagesun.com/pot-godfather-needs-delivery-of-a-new-home|title='Pot godfather' needs delivery — of a new home|author=Anderson, Lincoln|website=TheVillageSun.com|date=4 October 2022 |publisher=The Village Sun|access-date=4 October 2022}}

On May 6, 2023, Beal gave a speech before the NYC Cannabis Parade, the first rally after a 3-year hiatus.{{cite web|url=https://www.celebstoner.com/news/marijuana-news/2023/05/08/nyc-cannabis-parade-rally-may-6-cannabis-nyc-chuck-schumer/|title=Large Crowd Attends Reinvigorated NYC Cannabis Parade & Rally|author=Bloom, Steve|website=CelebStoner.com|access-date=8 May 2023}}

• List of civil rights leaders

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Image/IM55997 Dana Beal Liberation Poster -- Poster advocating Dana Beal's freedom : "As long as he sits, youth culture sits! free dana, free marijuana!"] Yippie poster, Madison, WI - 1971 - Wisconsin Historical Society.
• [http://www.google.com/search?q=site:cannabisnews%2Ecom+dana+beal CannabisNews.com archive of media articles mentioning Dana Beal.]
• [http://bondiviewertest.azurewebsites.net/DataView/Article/HT?issueKey=19770601&articleKey=19770601053 High Times interview: Dana Beal by David Oliver (June 1977)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215221521/http://bondiviewertest.azurewebsites.net/DataView/Article/HT?issueKey=19770601&articleKey=19770601053 |date=2017-12-15 }}
• [https://archive.org/details/July4thSmoke-inAtWashingtonDc July 4th Smoke-In at Washington DC (1977)] The Annual July 4 Smoke-In at Washington DC - film by Howard Lotsof and the Yippies - 26 minutes. (prominently features Dana Beal.)
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20090508173807/http://blip.tv/file/1049634 Dana Beal on Ibogaine Clinics, and his 2008 arrest]
• [http://internationaltimes.it/dana-beal-interview/ Dana Beal Interview by Saira Viola - International Times - 25 August 2016] (also contains small archive of Beal's activism : photos, posters, etc.)
• {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20160722223608/http://projectwordsworth.com/hostage-on-bleecker-street/ Steal This Story : Hostage on Bleecker Street by Sidd Joag (May 5 2016)]}} An account of a robbery at NY Yippie HQ in 2005 and its eventual aftermath; Dana Beal is central to the story.
• [https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2017/12/20/dana-beal-arrest-emerald-triangle-marijuana/ Longtime Marijuana Activist Dana Beal Arrested In California's Emerald Triangle] CBS News Sacramento - December 20, 2017
• [https://beyondthc.com/new-york-times-salutes-dana-beal/ New York Times Salutes Dana Beal] O'Shaughnessy’s Online - May 2021
• [https://thevillagesun.com/pols-for-pot-at-cannabis-rally-victory-lap-politicians-pay-respect-to-hippies-who-were-there-first Pols for pot: At cannabis rally victory lap, politicians pay respect to hippies who were there first] by Paul DeRienzo/The Village Sun - May 2, 2021

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beal, Dana}}

Category:American cannabis activists

Category:Living people

Category:1947 births

Category:Yippies

Category:Ibogaine activists

Category:People from Ravenna, Ohio

Category:Activists from Ohio

Category:American political writers

Category:American political philosophers

Category:Crimes in Humboldt County, California

Category:Cannabis writers

Category:New Left