Jack Herer Pioneer of Legal Weed

K nown to some as the “Emperor of Hemp” or “The Hemperor,” Jack Herer is not just a cannabis strain; he was aprominent marijuana activist whowas raised in Buffalo. Born in1939, Herer didn’t find his callinguntil he was in his 30s. In fact, upuntil that point, he was pro-war,anti-pot (there are reports thathe threatened to divorce hisfirst wife after finding out shesmoked weed). But once Herertried marijuana for the first time,everything changed.

A LEGEND WAS BORN

Jack Herer moved to LosAngeles in 1973 andreinvented his outlook. He fullyengrossed himself in all thingsmarijuana, and became an earlycannabis accessory entrepreneur,opening a pipe shop thatsame year. Throughout the restof his life, he was focused onone thing – legalization.

As an activist, Herer didn’t justpromote legal consumption ofmarijuana. He was also a starkproponent of the industrialuse of hemp, claiming thegovernment was purposefullyhiding important informationregarding its potential usesfrom the public.

While serving 14 days inprison for trespassing whilecollecting signatures for aballot initiative, he beganwriting his book “The EmperorWears No Clothes”. Uponhis release, Herer moved toPortland where he finishedthe book and began hiscrusade across America

to legalize pot. Originallypublished in 1985, “TheEmperor Wears No Clothes”has sold over 700,000 copiesand has released many neweditions throughout the years,with the latest becomingavailable in 2020.

The book is a non-fiction,all-encompassing manuscriptattempting to makepublic all of the cannabisinformation that Herercompiled throughout his lifewhich he thought was beinghidden from the masses. Inmany eyes, it was this bookthat initiated the cannabisrevolution.

For the remainder of his years,Jack Herer traversed thecountry attending pro-cannabisevents and speakingto the masses, promotingthe myriad of benefits thatwould come from legalization.People described himas deeply committed with amagnetic personality. Nobodywanted legal cannabis morethan Herer, and he waswilling to do whatever it tookto achieve this, includingrunning for president twice.

In 2010, he died of a heartattack immediately followinga speech in Portland, Oregon,where he claimed “you’vegot to be out of your mindnot to smoke dope.” He neverrecovered, and passed away athome in Eugene the next day.He was 70 years old. Herer hadpreviously suffered a strokeand heart attack in 2000, andtouted marijuana as the reasonhe was able to recover.

THE LEGACY CONTINUES

Jack’s legacy is survived byhis wife and six children, and,of course, his weed strain.His son Mark took over hisPortland-based head shop“Third Eye Shoppe” after hisdeath, although it has sinceclosed. His website, jackherer.com, hosts an active blog andprovides contact informationas well as information abouthis strain, which they marketas “the original Jack Herer.”

Additionally, all sixteenchapters of “The EmperorWears No Clothes” areavailable to read for free on thewebsite.

In terms of the Jack Herermarijuana strain, it’ssupposedly a sativa-dominanthybrid developed by SenseiSeeds in the 90s. It’s a crossbetween Haze, NorthernLights #5, and Shiva Skunk.This strain is meant to providea well-balanced high with anappealing scent and taste.

The next time you comeacross ”Jack Herer’’ online,at a dispensary, or an event,remember the man’s legacyand his contributions to the legalizationmovement, but morethan anything, remember thathe too hails from Buffalo.