Jack Herer (June 18, 1939 — April 15, 2010) was an American cannabis activist and the author of The Emperor Wears No Clothes, a book which has been used in efforts to decriminalize cannabis.
A former Goldwater Republican, Herer was a pro-cannabis (marijuana) and hemp activist. He wrote two books, the aforementioned The Emperor Wears No Clothes and Grass. There has also been a documentary made about his life called, The Emperor of Hemp. He believed that the cannabis sativa plant should be decriminalized because it has been shown to be a renewable source of fuel, food, and medicine, and can be grown in virtually any part of the world, and that the U.S. government deliberately hides the proof of this.
A specific strain of cannabis has been named after Jack Herer in honor of his work. This strain has won several awards, including the 7th High Times Cannabis Cup. Jack Herer was also inducted into the Counterculture Hall of Fame at the 16th Cannabis Cup in recognition of his first book.
Herer ran for United States President twice, in 1988 (1,949 votes) and 1992 (3,875 votes) as the Grassroots Party candidate.
In July 2000, Herer suffered a minor heart attack and a major stroke, resulting in difficulties speaking and moving the right side of his body. Herer mostly recovered, and claimed in May 2004 that treatment with the amanita muscaria, a psychoactive mushroom was the "secret".
On September 12, 2009 Herer suffered another heart attack while backstage at the Hempstalk Festival in Portland, Oregon. He spent nearly a month in critical condition in a Portland hospital, including several days in a medically induced coma. He was discharged to another facility on October 13, 2009. Paul Stanford of The Hemp and Cannabis Foundation said "He is waking up and gazing appropriately when someone is talking... but he is not really communicating in any way." He died aged 70 on April 15, 2010 in Eugene, Oregon, from complications related to the September 2009 heart attack. Herer was buried at the Eden Memorial Park Cemetery in Mission Hills, California.
"But you can count the dead bodies from alcohol, tobacco, and legal pharmaceuticals by the millions.""Growing hemp as nature designed it is vital to our urgent need to reduce greenhouse gases and ensure the survival of our planet.""Hempseed produces no observable high for humans or birds.""I don't want to wait 20 or 50 years for something to be done about petrochemical pollution.""I was 30 years old and this girl I knew found out I had never gotten high. Nobody had ever told me about marijuana.""I've lived in Los Angeles for at least 24 years.""If you substitute marijuana for tobacco and alcohol, you'll add eight to 24 years to your life.""Many artists and writers have used cannabis for creative stimulation - from the writers of the world's religious masterpieces to our most irreverent satirists.""My family moved to Buffalo, New York in 1940 where I was raised.""Our leaders are acting like lemmings.""Rag paper, containing hemp fiber, is the highest quality and longest lasting paper ever made. It can be torn when wet, but returns to its full strength when dry.""The only dead bodies from marijuana are in the prisons and at the hands of the police. This is ridiculous.""This girl wanted me to experience something I'd never experienced. She tried three times to get me high. Finally it worked, and I had the most incredible sex I'd ever had.""Well, as I understand it, the main supporters are beer companies and the pharmaceutical companies. I'd like them to show me the dead bodies from marijuana. But they can't because there aren't any.""When I went off to the army when I was 17 years old, I believed in America and the rights of freedom. But today I believe my government is lying to the American people and that my president, George Bush, is a criminal.""You see, the Greenhouse Effect is a direct result of burning fossil or old carbon fuels."