Richard Lee, Cannabis Activist and Entrepreneur, Dies at 62

Richard Lee, a pivotal figure in the nation's cannabis movement, died on July 27 in a hospital in Houston, Texas. He was 62. Lee's life was marked by a transformative journey from being paralyzed in a work accident to becoming a national face of the legalization movement, thanks in large part to his use of marijuana for medical purposes. As the founder of Oaksterdam University, a trade school that trained students to work in the cannabis industry, Lee was often referred to as the "Johnny Appleseed of pot." His death was due to complications from cancer, said Dale Sky Jones, the executive chancellor of Oaksterdam University.

Lee's path to cannabis activism began in 1990 when he was 28 and fell off a scaffold while setting up lights for an Aerosmith concert rehearsal in New Jersey. The accident left him paralyzed and reliant on marijuana to ease his chronic nerve pain and back spasms. This experience led him to become a fierce advocate for the medicinal and economic potential of cannabis. Lee's activism reached new heights in 2010 when he spent over $1.3 million of his own money to spearhead California's Proposition 19, a statewide effort to legalize cannabis for adult use. Although Prop 19 failed to pass, it set the stage for successful initiatives in Colorado and Washington two years later.

Key Takeaways:

• Richard Lee was a pivotal figure in the nation's cannabis movement, marking a transformative journey from being paralyzed in a work accident to becoming a national face of the legalization movement.
• Lee's use of marijuana for medical purposes led him to become a fierce advocate for the medicinal and economic potential of cannabis.
• He founded Oaksterdam University, a trade school that trained students to work in the cannabis industry, which became a hub for cannabis education and research.
• Lee's activism reached new heights in 2010 when he spent $1.3 million to spearhead California's Proposition 19, which set the stage for successful initiatives in Colorado and Washington two years later.
• Lee's death on July 27 was due to complications from cancer, said Dale Sky Jones, the executive chancellor of Oaksterdam University.
• Lee was a successful entrepreneur, operating multiple cannabis-related businesses in Oakland, including two Amsterdam-style coffee shop dispensaries and a cannabis-themed newspaper.
• He was a vocal advocate for the importance of treating cannabis as a serious business, emphasizing its medicinal and economic potential.
• Lee was arrested and raided multiple times, but never faced any charges, sparking suspicions about the timing and intentions of these actions.

Statistics:

• Over $1.3 million of Lee's own money was spent to spearhead California's Proposition 19 in 2010.
• 40 states have now legalized cannabis for either medical purposes or adult use.
• 22 more states enacted similar laws after Lee's efforts in 2010.
• Oaksterdam University has trained over 100,000 students from around the world to work in the cannabis industry.
• The raid on Oaksterdam University in 2012 seized tens of thousands of baby plants growing in the school's basement and student records.

Sources:

• The New York Times
• The New Yorker
• The New Yorker (again)
• NPR
• Oaksterdam University
• Dale Sky Jones
• NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws)
• Justin Sullivan/The Bay Citizen, via Getty Images
• Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
• Peter DaSilva/European Pressphoto Agency
• Robert Galbraith/Reuters
• Jim Wilson/The New York Times