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peter mcwilliams

Important Dates in Marijuana History: November 24, 1976

robert randall

The famous and brilliant marijuana advocate, Peter McWilliams, often used to cite the fact that the U.S. government does in fact provide marijuana to a handful of people.  He would say he just wanted to join the elite group.  While the fact that the federal government is providing four people with marijuana is becoming more well known, many of us do not recognize how this contradictory program came to be.

November 24, 1976 is one of the most important dates in medical marijuana’s history.  On this date federal Judge James Washington ruled that Robert Randall could legally use marijuana out of legal necessity.  Mr. Randall became the first person in the United States to be granted the legal right to use marijuana since 1937.  He suffered from glaucoma and cultivated his own supply of marijuana to alleviate symptoms associated with his condition.  He was arrested but as stated above, US v. Randall would become a landmark case and launch the medical marijuana movement.

As with successful movements, a superior understanding of the charges, authorities, and legal rights granted can often be the best weapon to bringing about true change.  Randall utilized a little known defense at the time called The Common Law Doctrine of Necessity.  A judge agreed and thus the government was forced to create a program for distributing medical marijuana.  At its peak the program served 14 patients but still provides marijuana to 4 of the remaining participants.  The program is rarely covered in the media, but last year an Oregon woman made headlines as she was pulled over with marijuana.  Police officers were surprised about her claim that she received marijuana from the federal government, but after a series of phone calls Oregon police were able to verify her story.

Robert Randall passed away in 2001 but NORML founder Keith Stroup has called him “the father of medical marijuana.”  Even after his death Robert Randall serves as a reminder that the federal government’s case against marijuana is contradicted by none other than the federal government.  They have acknowledged marijuana’s medical benefits and have even proved competent enough to cultivate and distribute it.  Although the battle is far from over, on November 24, 1976, we witnessed the end of the government’s ability to suppress one of the greatest healing agents we have ever known.

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A Tribute to Peter McWilliams

peter mcwilliams

“Stubbornness is also determination. It’s simply a matter of shifting from “won’t power” to “will power.”
? Peter McWilliams

 

The brightest minds are not bound to one area of expertise.  True genius transcends departmentalized intelligence and spreads its branches out far and wide.  Unfortunately our society seems to have placed an emphasis on the narrow minded expert.  We want our athletes to play ball, our entertainers to dance, and our social commentators to discuss single topics.

Perhaps not a household name, Peter McWilliams has inspired people from all walks of life.  He was raised outside of Detroit in Allen Park, Michigan.  After attending Eastern Michigan University he found inspiration in Paul Krassner and his publication “The Realist”, which was regarded as one of the premiere counter culture publications of modern times.

Peter would quickly become an established writer himself and his diverse skill set was on display even in his early works.  Already publishing many works including insightful poetry , in 1974 he wrote, directed, and produced the religious satire movie originally called The Greatest Story Overtold” under the name Peter Alexander.  The movie has since been re-released as “The Thorn”.  In 1975 he and Denise Denniston released “The Transcendental Meditation TM Book”, which enjoyed a three week stay on top of the New York Times best sellers list.  He would go on to have 5 books in total to make it to the prestigious best seller list.   Another early highlight was How To Survive the Loss of a Love which he wrote with Harold H. Bloomfield in 1976 and expanded upon an earlier version Peter wrote in 1971. Already displaying his varied expertise in satire, human emotions and meditation, Peter McWilliams decided to share his proficiency of computers during a period of time where distrust and a lack of user knowledge in how to use computers was at an all time high.  In 1982 he released the “The Personal Computer Book” and “The Word Processing Book”.

In 1990, Peter McWilliams returned to the subject matter that may distinguish him the most, his understanding of humanity, emotion, and coping with pain.  “Life 101: Everything We Wished We Had Learned About Life in School but Didn’t” received great reviews and is still available on Amazon.com.  True to his nature, the book has been heralded as deep, philosophical and yet easily accessible with a style that resembles conversation instead of condescension.

His next work would be a smooth transition into the political and social commentary realm.  The 1993 book titled “Ain’t Nobody’s Business if You Do: The Absurdity of Consensual Crimes in Our Free Country” was released and still receives positive reviews.  The book examines what Mr. McWilliams categorizes as “victimless crimes” and how people have been hurt tremendously by consensual crimes throughout history.  Another major point of the book is that over regulating social behavior produces an environment that is ripe for black markets and organized crime.  The book resonated with many, including libertarians who appreciated his views on personal freedoms.

The book makes commentary on marijuana, a victimless crime according to Peter.  Coincidentally, this point would hit closer to home than perhaps he had envisioned.  In 1996, Peter McWilliams was diagnosed with both AIDS and cancer.  Conventional treatments produced extreme nausea for him and Peter found relief with the use of marijuana.  Two years later he would give a nationally televised speech at the 1998 Libertarian National Convention.  The speech was inspirational for many defenders of civil liberties, including those scared to embrace their sexuality.  Fourteen years ago was still a difficult period to admit to being gay, but Mr. McWilliams courageously revealed this during his iconic speech.

Peter McWilliams suffered greatly for his open views on medical marijuana.  Shortly after his address to the Libertarian party, he was arrested for growing marijuana plants that he says he planned to give to caregivers in order to provide relief for patients.  He believed he was targeted specifically because of how effectively he was conveying social change and the benefits of medical marijuana.  At the time he was helping Todd McCormick write a book titled “How to Grow Medical Marijuana”.  Both men were arrested by federal authorities. A judge ruled that Peter McWilliams could not mention his terminal illness or that he believed that medical marijuana was saving his life during the trial proceedings.  He was required to cease using marijuana or his mother would lose her house, which was used as collateral for his bail bond.  His extreme nausea returned and although not officially confirmed, it is believed that Peter McWilliams died from choking on excess vomit.

This tragic ending was not befitting of such brilliance.  Peter McWilliams had a golden touch with just about anything he encountered.  That is why it is so confusing that we can applaud intelligence in one field but then disregard it in another.  This was not a lazy man trying to abuse marijuana for recreational pleasure.  He embodied the diversity of the marijuana community with such insight and compassion.  Peter McWilliams’ mind would not be confined to one area of focus and almost 12 years after his death, his influence is still strong.  We were able to speak with Julia who maintains www.petermcwilliams.org, a site dedicated to remembering the great activist.  She mentions, as many others have, about Peter’s inviting writing style and that he had a way of directly talking to people as if he knew the reader.  When asked how to describe the influence he has had she said “The fact that 12 years after someone died, it should mean something that people are being touched by his life and still reading his books.” The site has much to offer including a description of Peter’s works including books, photography and other entries not covered in this article.  Additionally, the site includes quotes from Peter and many of his well established peers that include Paul Krassner, Gary Johnson and Dennis Peron.  There is also a video tribute by Julia and much more.

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