The debate over marijuana legalization doesn’t seem likely to end anytime soon, but if and when it’s ever decriminalized, enthusiasts should toke up in honor of the Beatles, who publicly came out in favor of it 50 years ago.

As noted by the Beatles Bible, the band members and manager Brian Epstein were all among the signatories when 64 of Britain’s best and brightest were rounded up to urge discussion of the issue by taking out a full-page ad in the London Times on July 24, 1967.

Prompted by the arrest of acclaimed photographer and International Times founder John Hopkins — and his subsequent nine-month sentencing for possession — the group sought to call attention to what they deemed an unnecessarily harsh public policy.

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Source: 50 Years Ago: The Beatles Argue for Legalization of Marijuana in the U.K.