Dr. John Morgan R.I.P.

Another courageous pioneer in the drug reform movement, Dr. John Morgan, has passed away. He died from leukemia on February 15th.

He was a tireless advocate of scientific rationalism when it came to the study of and policy towards marijuana. This approach produced an invaluable resource, the book Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts which he co-wrote with Lynne Zimmer and published in 1997. It remains the most reliable source of scientifically accurate information on marijuana yet written.

While he did not claim marijuana to be 100 percent harmless, he did argue that the evidence showed cannabis to be one of the most benign psychoactive drugs known to man. However, when he pushed for the legalization of marijuana he made it clear that it was not because the drug was largely safe but rather because there were some hazards that prohibition was ill advised. Morgan believed that a regime of regulation and control offered the best way minimize these dangers.

Dr. Morgan offered us a much needed rational, humane, courageous, authoritative voice and he will be missed.

Cross posted on The Trebach Report