Richard Lee (born 1964) is a

marijuana rights Cannabis rights or marijuana rights (sometimes more specifically cannabis consumer rights or stoner rights) are individual civil rights that vary by jurisdiction. The rights of people who consume cannabis include the right to be free from employ ...

activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

who ran various

medical marijuana Medical cannabis, medicinal cannabis or medical marijuana (MMJ) refers to Cannabis (drug), cannabis products and cannabinoid, cannabinoid molecules that are prescription drug, prescribed by physicians for their patients. The use of cannabi ...

programs throughout

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. He is regarded as a central figure in

Northern California Northern California (commonly shortened to NorCal) is a geocultural region that comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California, spanning the northernmost 48 of the state's List of counties in California, 58 counties. Northern Ca ...

's medical marijuana movement. He also operated a coffee shop. He has been active in working to end cannabis prohibition since 1992.

California Proposition 19

He was the chief promoter of

California Proposition 19 California Proposition 19 (also known as the Regulate, Control & Tax Cannabis Act) was a ballot initiative on the California state elections, November 2010, November 2, 2010, statewide ballot. It was defeated, with 53.5% of California voters v ...

, titled the "Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010", which was a measure to legalize marijuana in California. On December 14, 2009 the secretary of state confirmed receipt of enough signatures to qualify the measure for inclusion on the November 2010 ballot. The initiative failed to pass, with 54% of California voters voting "No", and 46% voting "Yes".

Oaksterdam University

In 2007, Lee founded Oaksterdam University, the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

' first

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 ...

-oriented "college". The unaccredited educational facility offers classes on politics and legal issues related to marijuana as well as

horticulture Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

business management Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

, extractions, budtending and

entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entrepreneu ...

. Lee is no longer with the organization according to the website.

References

External links

Oaksterdam University Official Site
American cannabis activists Living people Oaksterdam University faculty 1964 births {{US-activist-stub