In our ongoing series: Cannabis Pioneers, we take a look at cannabis activists that have changed the world. Todays episode: Jack Herer.
Few cannabis industry luminaries have strains named after them that are available in shops all over the world. You could have come across Jack Herer, one of the most well-known sativas that have ever graced the cannabis market, during your most recent trip to a cannabis retail establishment. This unusual specimen of bud was named in honour of a renowned proponent of legalisation whose work made a significant contribution to the current position of cannabis legislation and the general public's awareness of the plant's numerous health benefits.
The Story Of Jack Herer Cannabis Pioneer
While Jack Herer spent much of his adult life on the West Coast, he was born in New York in 1939. The 6-foot-tall, 230-pound "Emperor of Hemp" had long, shaggy hair that was always messy, tie-dyed clothes with cannabis leaves on top, and stars and stripes on the bottom. Herer, the third-youngest child, was reared in Buffalo, New York. He left high school and ended up working in the Army as a military police officer during the Korean War. He worked as a sign painter when he returned to the United States. He relocated to Los Angeles in 1967 with his three kids and his then-wife. It was there that he would find cannabis two years later. His life was altered by it. He, in turn, altered the direction of cannabis legalisation in the United States.
Cannabis Activism & Jack Herer
Herer focused all of his attention and effort on cannabis in the early 1970s. At the age of 30, he smoked his first joint. He then created new types of paraphernalia and pushed the Great Revolutionary American Standard System (GRASS), a cannabis grading system. He then shifted to politics. Herer began his campaign to make hemp legal in California. That began in 1973, but he continued to work tirelessly for the cause for years after that.
He teamed up with headshop proprietor Ed Adair, and the two established the Reefer Raiders, a political action group. In Westwood, the gang slept out in front of the federal building while smoking cannabis and causing mayhem. Through the 1980s, this issue reached a boiling point. He was sentenced to two weeks in prison in 1981 after being found guilty of trespassing on government property. He was gathering support for a California ballot proposition that would have legalised hemp. Police searched Herer's brand-new High Country headshop in Van Nuys in 1983. Due to a state statute that makes paraphernalia unlawful, police confiscated 6,000 items, assessed him a $1,500 fine, and sentenced him to two years of probation. Herer was unaffected by this.
The Emperor Wears No Clothes: Written By Jack Herer
He released "The Emperor Wears No Clothes," a novel that would profoundly alter his and countless other lives, in 1985. Herer began writing it in 1981 while incarcerated and worked on it for years by scouring documents and conducting research. When the US government decided to make cannabis illegal in 1937, only two years before Herer was born, he even travelled to the Library of Congress in search of proof for his claim. According to this argument, the government had repressed knowledge regarding the drug's advantages. Herer became known as 'the Hemperor', and 'The Emperor Wears No Clothes' was dubbed 'the Hemp Movement Bible'. The history of cannabis production is covered in Herer's book, which also criticises the government's ban on hemp farming by providing copious facts and documents. Herer cites several applications for the plant, including the production of paper, fibre, fuel, food, a plastic substitute, and even a variety of medicines. It even explores who benefits from cannabis' criminalization and its ban, and it offers suggestions for how to move the legalisation process forward more quickly. In campaigns to legalise cannabis and get it taken off the United States' list of prohibited narcotics, it is still cited today.
"There is only one known annually renewable natural resource that is capable of meeting all of the world's transportation, industrial, and home energy needs, while also reducing pollution, rebuilding the soil, and reforestation, if all fossil fuels and their derivatives, as well as trees for paper and construction, were banned in order to save the planet, reverse the Greenhouse Effect, and stop deforestation.
The fable The Emperor's New Clothes from 1837, which centres on a conceited emperor who spends all of his wealth on new clothes, is referenced in the title. The lesson of the tale is to never allow fear or pride prevent you from speaking up. Herer believed that everyone ought to feel the same way about the ban on cannabis. Herer's rise to stardom was fueled by The Emperor Wears No Clothes. It has been updated several times throughout the years and has around one million copies sold. Herer spoke about his book and the advantages of the cannabis plant for years while on the road. Herer addressed at 60 separate rallies in 48 different locations in only six weeks in 1990. Those public appearances were his source of energy and fueled the legalisation movement. The too busy routine finally began to cause health problems to arise.
The Legacy and Death of Jack Herer
Herer had a heart attack and a stroke at the same time in 2000 while attending a hemp festival. He said that cannabis oil assisted in his recuperation, although his recovery only lasted ten years. History replayed itself in September 2009 when I spoke out in favour legalising cannabis at the Hempstalk event in Portland. After he finished speaking, he suffered a crippling heart attack. He never bounced back. Herer passed away in his Eugene, Oregon, home in April of 2010.
People celebrate Jack Herer Day every year on June 18th.
His wife, the fourth of his four wives, six children, a brother, and a sister will all continue to live. Other well-known items made from the strain given the name Jack Herer include Jack the Ripper, Jack's Cleaner, and Jack Skellington. With a flowery and citrusy aroma and a calming but energising impact on the body and mind, the original Jack Herer is renowned as a great wake-and-bake strain.
The Jack Herer cannabis strain has won nine different Cannabis Cup awards. June 18th is Jack Herer's birthday - this year, he would have turned 83.
The influence of Jack Herer in the cannabis industry is extensive. Given his longtime dedication to the cause, his efforts to educate the public about cannabis, and the overall mystery surrounding his unique lifestyle, many well-known legalisation activists would probably cite Herer as a cultural pathfinder.
During the harshest years of cannabis prohibition, Herer wasn't the only supporter of legalising cannabis. He was nonetheless one of the most noticeable. Additionally, he provided a platform for other people and institutions to express their views. He was also involved with the United States Grassroots Party, one of the most illustrious political organisations of the time with a strong legalisation agenda. Herer garnered thousands of votes throughout his two presidential campaigns for the party.
Herer sadly passed away in 2003. In his later years, he started to emphasise the benefits of psychedelics for healing the mind. Even though Herer is no longer with us, his numerous contributions to cannabis culture and the history of legalisation, not just in the United States but all around the world, continue to have an influence today. A well-known sativa strain by the name of Jack Herer has won worldwide competitions, so people who wish to learn more about Jack today may do so.
The Jack Here Cannabis Strain: Information
Jack Herer, also known as "JH," "The Jack," "Premium Jack," and "Platinum Jack," is a sativa-dominant cannabis strain. Sensi Seeds produced Jack Herer in an effort to produce both heavy resin and cerebral elevation by fusing a Haze hybrid with a Northern Lights #5 and Shiva Skunk cross. The genetic diversity of Jack Herer results in a variety of phenotypes, each of which has its own distinct traits and impacts. Thoughtful, euphoric, and creative are how users generally describe this 55% sativa hybrid.
The Jack Herer strain was developed in the Netherlands in the middle of the 1990s, and Dutch pharmacies later sold it as a certified medical-grade variety. Since then, this sour, pine-scented variety has won countless prizes for its excellence and strength. Indoor gardeners should wait 50 to 70 days for Jack Herer to blossom because many breeders have tried to produce this popular strain themselves in sunny or Mediterranean conditions.
A true pioneer that paved the way for fellow activists, and changed the world. I hope you enjoyed reading all about the legendary Jack Herer!
The next episode will be on The Haze Brothers so be sure to check back!