Scott Tracy Imler (1958-2018) was an American

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 advocated

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 ...

use in

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 worked with

Dennis Peron Dennis Robert Peron (April 8, 1945 – January 27, 2018) was an American activist and businessman who became a leader in the movement for the legalization of cannabis throughout the 1990s. He influenced many in California and thus changed ...

, a fellow

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 ...

activist, during the movement for the legalization of marijuana in the 1990s. He was a co-author of

Proposition 215 Proposition 215, or the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, is a California law permitting the use of medical cannabis despite marijuana's lack of the normal Food and Drug Administration testing for safety and efficacy. It was enacted, on November ...

or the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, the law permitting medical marijuana in the state. Imler was also a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

minister.

Cannabis Movement

When California Governor

Pete Wilson Peter Barton Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American attorney and politician who served as governor of California from 1991 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Wilson previously served as a United S ...

vetoed a bill legalizing marijuana in 1991, Imler worked with Peron and Dale Gieringer to establish a

political action committee In the United States, a political action committee (PAC) is a tax-exempt 527 organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaigns for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation. The l ...

called Californians for Compassionate Use."Brief History of Medical Cannabis in San Francisco During the 90's". Mission Cannabis Club , Cannabis Dispensary and Delivery San Francisco CA. 2020-04-10. Retrieved 2022-10-21. In 1992, he was first prompted by Peron to file an initiative in Santa Cruz similar to Proposition P, a resolution calling on the state government to permit medical cannabis within San Francisco. This resolution, which was called Measure A, became the second local medical marijuana initiative approved in California after Peron's proposition. The PAC next sought to expand its initiative and launched a voter-led referendum for entire California also known as Proposition 215. It initially encountered problems until it gained traction with the support of philanthropists such as

George Soros George Soros (born György Schwartz; August 12, 1930) is an American investor and philanthropist. , he has a net worth of US$7.2 billion, Note that this site is updated daily. having donated more than $32 billion to the Open Society Foundat ...

, Peter Lewis, and George Zimmer. The initiative was passed on November 5, 1996, making California the first US state to legalize marijuana use. One of Imler's earliest initiatives that contributed to the cannabis movement in California was the establishment of a center that raised and dispensed marijuana for medical use by

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

and

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

patients. The initiative directly impacted Imler since cannabis was also used to treat

glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can lead to damage of the optic nerve. The optic nerve transmits visual information from the eye to the brain. Glaucoma may cause vision loss if left untreated. It has been called the "silent thief of ...

and

epileptic Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by a tendency for recurrent, unprovoked seizures. A seizure is a sudden burst of abnormal electrical activity in the brain that can cause a variety of symptoms, rang ...

spells, illnesses that he suffered. Through the help of defense attorney John Duran, who later became

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. History Most historical writings about West Hollywood be ...

mayor), this became the

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Cannabis Resource Center, the first patient-based medical marijuana cooperative in southern California. By 2001, the facility had served about 900 members. The co-op operated until Imler announced its closure in the same year. This development came after the

DEA The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating illicit drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domes ...

raided LACRC, which also incited a Federal backlash against medical marijuana use. The raid was carried out three weeks after the

9/11 terror attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

. Imler was prosecuted but was never jailed. Imler was an ordained minister and the pastor of the Methodist Church located at the Fountain and Fairfax in West Hollywood. The church also served as a dispensary and "sanctuary" for those who wanted to receive and use medicinal marijuana. Imler was married to George Leddy for 30 years. He died on August 9, 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Imler, Scott 1958 births 2018 deaths American cannabis activists Cannabis in California