Jack Herer is often referred to as the father of the marijuana legalization movement.
As author of the seminal 1985 pro-cannabis book "The Emperor Has No Clothes," Herer ignited the push for legalizing weed in the U.S. The book not only expounded on the benefits of both industrial hemp and marijuana, including medical and economic, but also Herer’s beliefs that people have the right to use marijuana to get high.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Herer dropped out of high school before serving in the Army during the Korean War. He moved to Los Angeles in the 1960s, where he tried marijuana for the first time at age 30.
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Instantly enchanted, he opened up a smoke shop on Venice Beach and joined forces with Ed Adair, another marijuana advocate. The pair pledged to campaign for legalizing weed until they turned 84 years old or until marijuana was legalized and everyone imprisoned for possession was freed,
according to The Oregonian.
After having the chance to speak with a senator about the benefits of marijuana, Herer was inspired to write "The Emperor’s New Clothes," which he started while in prison on a possession charge. After the book was completed, he ran for president twice, in 1988 and 1992, and moved to Portland, Oregon, where he opened a second smoke shop,
according to the Salem-News.
Herer died in 2010 at age 70, several weeks after suffering a heart attack when he suffered a second, fatal heart attack immediately after speaking at a pro-marijuana rally in Portland, Oregon.
He was survived by his wife, Jeannie, also a strong figure in the movement, as well as his six children.
The legalizing weed movement that Herer started was gaining true momentum when he passed away, with marijuana now legal in 20 states and Washington, D.C.
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