Jack Herer (; June 18, 1939 – April 15, 2010), sometimes called the "Emperor of Hemp", was an American cannabis rights activist and the author of the 1985 book '' The Emperor Wears No Clothes''. Herer founded and served as the director of the organization Help End Marijuana Prohibition (HEMP). As an activist, he advocated for the decriminalization of the

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...

plant and argued that it could be used as a renewable source of fuel, medicine, food, fiber, and paper/pulp and that it can be grown in virtually any part of the world for medicinal as well as economic purposes. He further asserted that the U.S. government has been deliberately hiding the proof of this from its own citizens.

Biography

An early glass pipe entrepreneur, Herer opened his first head shop in 1973. In 1985, Herer self-published '' The Emperor Wears No Clothes'', a book — in 2020 in its fourteenth edition after having been continuously in print for 35 years — frequently cited in efforts to decriminalize and legalize cannabis and to expand the use of

hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a plant in the botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial and consumable use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest ...

for industrial use. In 1987, Herer opened the Third Eye Shoppe head shop in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. Herer's son Mark Herer took over as the shop's owner in 2001. The Third Eye closed on March 31, 2017. A former Goldwater Republican, Herer twice ran for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

, in 1988 (1,949 votes) and

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

(3,875 votes), as the Grassroots Party candidate.

Health problems and death

In July 2000, Herer suffered a minor

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

and a major

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

while attending the BioFach trade show, 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 ''Amanita muscaria'', commonly known as the fly agaric or fly amanita, is a basidiomycete fungus of the genus ''Amanita''. It is a large white-lamella (mycology), gilled, white-spotted mushroom typically featuring a bright red cap covered with ...

'', a psychoactive mushroom, was the "secret". On September 12, 2009, Herer suffered another heart attack while backstage at the Hempstalk Festival in

. 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." On April 15, 2010, Herer died in

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...

, from complications related to the September 2009 heart attack. He was 70 years old at the time of his death. Herer was buried at the Eden Memorial Park Cemetery in Mission Hills, California.

Criticism

European experts on hemp, like Dr. Hayo M.G. van der Werf, author of the doctoral thesis ''Crop physiology of fibre hemp'' (1994), and Dr. Ivan Bocsa criticized Herer for making unrealistic claims regarding the potential of hemp (cf. the work of Lyster Hoxie Dewey). * Herer claimed that hemp produces higher yields than other crops. Van der Werf argued that is simply wrong. Under most favorable growing conditions, other crops such as maize,

sugar beet A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and that is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet (''Beta vulgaris''). Together with ...

, or potato produced similar dry matter yields. Fiber hemp is in many ways superior to other crops under adverse growing conditions. * Herer claimed that hemp hurds, which make up 60 to 80% of the stem dry weight, contain 77% cellulose. Van der Werf argued that is wrong. Cellulose content of hemp hurds has been found to vary between 32 and 38% (Bedetti and Ciaralli 1976, van der Werf 1994). Possibly, Herer confused the hurds, which form the woody core of the hemp stem, with the bark, which forms the outer layer of the hemp stem. The bark contains the long bast fibers which are used in textile manufacturing.

Legacy

sativa Sativa, sativus, and sativum are Latin botanical adjectives meaning '' cultivated''. It is often associated botanically with plants that promote good health and used to designate certain seed-grown domestic crops. Usage ''Sativa'' (ending in -a) ...

-dominant hybrid strain of cannabis was named after Herer in honor of his work. The Jack Herer strain was originally created by Sensi Seeds. Today almost all seed banks carry their own take on this famous cannabis favorite. This strain has won several awards, including the 7th ''

High Times ''High Times'' was an American monthly magazine (and cannabis brand) that advocates the legalization of cannabis as well as other counterculture ideas. The magazine was founded in 1974 by Tom Forcade. The magazine had its own book publishing d ...

'' Cannabis Cup. Jack Herer was also inducted into the Counterculture Hall of Fame at the 16th Cannabis Cup in recognition of his first book. ''Emperor of Hemp'' is a documentary made about Herer's life that aired on PBS stations throughout the U.S., and was translated into French and Spanish.

Works

Books * (with Al Emmanuel) ''G.R.A.S.S.: Great Revolutionary American Standard System: The Official Guide for Assessing the Quality of Marijuana on the 1 to 10 Scale'' (Primo Publications, 1973) * '' The Emperor Wears No Clothes'' (Van Nuys, California: Ah Ha Publishing, 1985, 1990) Articles * "Cannabis Medicines Banned," Totse.com
archived at the Wayback Machine
— excerpt from ''The Emperor Wears No Clothes'' * " Hemp for Victory — Coverup," Totse.com
archived at the Wayback Machine

References

External links

* *
Erowid Jack Herer Vault

Jack Herer, Emperor of Hemp, Passes Away
The 420 Times
jackherercup.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herer, Jack 1939 births 2010 deaths American non-fiction writers American cannabis activists 20th-century American Jews Cannabis political party politicians Grassroots Party politicians Politicians from Buffalo, New York Candidates in the 1988 United States presidential election Candidates in the 1992 United States presidential election Activists from Buffalo, New York 21st-century American Jews Cannabis writers Jewish American activists