HIGHLY LIKELY

EDROSENTHAL

“I’M JUST A WRITER WHO LIKES TO GIVE ADVICE TO GARDENERS. I REALLY WISH THIS DIDN’T HAVE TO BE A LEGAL CRUSADE.” - ED ROSENTHAL

URU OF GANJA ED ROSENTHAL has been making Cannabis cultivation secrets known to the general public for over 40 years. He has also been a staunch supporter of legalization throughout his career and saw the fruits of his labor realized in the middle of the last decade. Rosenthal was born and raised in the Bronx, developing his lifelong interest in plants throughout childhood. A smart and crafty individual, he worked as a Wall Street stock broker in the ‘60s after college, but soon grew dissatisfied with that work. An interest in marijuana beckoned - and as Rosenthal told the SF Gate in 2007, “If you were interested in plants and you grew up during hippie times, you sort of just gravitated to learning more about marijuana.” G

It was around this time that Rosenthal helped to found NORML (the National Organization for Reformation of Marijuana Laws). In 1972 he moved to California, eventually landing in Oakland. In the mid70s Rosenthal worked with his partner/ collaborator Mel Frank (last month’s Highly Likely subject) on what would have been considered a large-scale grow by the standards of our time.

Along with Frank, Rosenthal was one of the founders of High Times - where he wrote many columns, including the famous “Ask Ed” column which helped to answer questions from readers around the world about Cannabis.

While all of this was happening, Rosenthal also found the time to author many books that have become staples of Cannabis growing culture.

His “Marijuna Grower’s Handbook” is a tried-and-true staple of home growers around the world.

But he hasn’t only written about growing - you can find books he has authored about Cannabis culture, Cannabis as medicine, and editorials like the famous “Why Marijuana Should Be Legal.”

Yes, Rosenthal’s love for the plant goes well beyond horticulture, as he’s been an outspoken activist for the legalization of the plant even before it was in vogue to do so. He has always had a sort of legal bend to his career, seeing the laws regulating Cannabis as important social issues.

And the law has affected him personally more than once, notably in 1999 when he was appointed ‘Officer of the City of Oakland,’ directed to cultivate Cannabis for patients. Some three years later, the federal government shut down his city-supported facility. Rosenthal was arrested and put on trial twice for marijuana cultivation in federal court.

These highly publicized trials shifted public opinion in favor of state medical marijuana laws - and eventually helped to pave the way for the state legalization we enjoy today. For that and many other things, those of us who enjoy and rely upon Cannabis owe Ed Rosenthal a debt of gratitude.

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