Jack Herer, the Emperor of Hemp
Jack Herer was one of the first activists to challenge cannabis prohibition by linking history, economics, and ecology. A portrait of one of the leading figures of the pro-cannabis movement.
Jack was born in 1939 and grew up in Buffalo, New York. After failing in school following his father’s death, he joined the army at 17. His political views at the time were Republican, conservative, and even ultra-nationalist. He notably supported the intervention of American GIs in Vietnam.
The hippie movement changes everything
Jack Herer hated hippies, pacifists, and all the pseudo-depraved types of the 1960s. In 1967, he got divorced, and his new girlfriend offered him cannabis. “I experienced sensations I didn’t even know existed.” He then wondered why cannabis was illegal and ended up joining these “depraved” people whom he had previously judged to be cowards.
He then turned to writing comics. Called Grass, the comic sold over 35,000 copies.
Jack Herer is primarily known as the leading authority on hemp in the United States, notably for his studies of its history and uses around the world. Herer distinguishes himself by focusing primarily on hemp, not cannabis. Cannabis consumer groups do not support him. His views on the economics of hemp lead some to consider him too radical. He is joined in his fight by Ed Ader, who later becomes his closest friend. He garners support for the legalization of hemp and the decriminalization of cannabis.
“Hemp could change the world”
In 1974, he called for the use of hemp to save the planet. In 1979, Jack Herer opened a hemp shop on Venice Beach which quickly became a must-visit.
In January 1981, he met with newly elected President Reagan in front of a federal building while collecting signatures for petitions against prohibition. It was around this time that Ronald Reagan declared a zero-tolerance policy on cannabis issues and used the presence of pro-cannabis activists on federal property as a pretext to arrest them. Refusing to pay the fine, Jack Herer was incarcerated in July 1983 at the Terminal Highlands Federal Correctional Facility in California.
While in prison, he wrote a second book, published in 1985, entitled
*The Emperor Wears No Clothes* . Selling over 600,000 copies worldwide, it has been reprinted 11 times. One of its passages reads:
“I’m not saying hemp will save the world… but it’s certainly the only thing that can…”
Herer popularizes all topics related to hemp: scientific studies, the history of hemp around the world, its economic uses, and its nutritional value. He is already committed to fighting climate change, asserting that the plant, through its many uses, could save the planet. He has even pledged to give $50,000 to anyone who can prove otherwise.
The hemp textile and cosmetics industry took off in the 90s and in 1994, the associations that had rejected him and thought him crazy now considered him the prophet of the end of prohibition.
Also in 1994, Sensi Seeds lent its name to a
cannabis variety . For over twenty years, Jack Herer garnered numerous awards at the Cannabis Cups in the hybrid cannabis variety category.
Also in 1994, Sensi Seeds lent its name to a
cannabis variety . For over twenty years, Jack Herer garnered numerous awards at the Cannabis Cups in the hybrid cannabis variety category.
Jack Herer died on April 15, 2010, in Eugene, Oregon, at the age of 70. He is now considered an example for all pro-cannabis activists. From his grave or elsewhere, he is surely watching with interest the global progress toward the legalization of cannabis.
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Reference: Article published via Newsweed, Jack Herer, l’Empereur du chanvre by Théo Caillart
