Dr Lester Grinspoon 1928-2020
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I first heard about Dr. Grinspoon through a cannabis strain purchased in 2010 in Barneys coffeeshop. Marketed as a “pure sativa”, I was told this strain was sure to give me the giggles, and it certainly did. I like to think of the high it gave me as the classic high you tend to see in characters in Movies and on television.
And soon after, arriving home from Amsterdam one Wintery day early in December, I first learnt about the legend behind the naming of this strain.
Dr. Lester Grinspoon was born in 1928 and graduated from Harvard Medical School. His interations with the world of cannabis begin sometimes in the 1960’s.
In the 1960’s cannabis user increased dramatically in the US, and this was what caused Dr Grinspoon to begin studying cannabis; he was determined to prove the risks he feared about its consumption. However, upon reviewing other papers on the subject, Grinspoon realised how the public had been misled about this plant and that instead of dangers it could provide us with benefits.
His Book Marihuana Reconsidered (1971) “reviews the history and literature of marihuana use, examines the psychological, physiological, and emotional effects of marihuana, and offers a sensible plan for its legalization” and for decades Dr Grinspoon has been a passionate voice for cannabis advocacy, both with other literature on the subject like Marijuana: The Forbidden Medicne (1993), as well as with his websites on cannabis and its many benefits.
Dr Grinspoon has written tremendously on the subject, as well as appearing in several documentaries about cannabis. He was also good friends with another hero of ours – Carl Sagan!
We were sad to hear yesterday that Dr. Grinspoon has passed.
Just one day after Lester’s 92nd birthday he passed away peacefully with his wife of 63 years by his side. He is also survived by 3 children, including astrobiologist David Grinspoon and physician and author Peter Grinspoon
My father, Dr. Lester Grinspoon, passed away this morning, peacefully & comfortably, with his wife Betsy (of 66 years) at his side, after celebrating his 92nd birthday with his family. Thank you for making the world a better place, in so many ways!https://t.co/W1KNZH8s1A
— Peter Grinspoon MD (@Peter_Grinspoon) June 25, 2020
A true cannabis legend, Lester certainly did more than his fair share, helping change the minds of people with cannabis education decades before many had even begun the fight.
RIP Dr. Lester Grinspoon