Jack Herer (born 1939) is the author of The Emperor Wears No Clothes (ISBN 0-9524560-0-1) (several editions since c.1985), a book which has been used in efforts to decriminalize cannabis.
A former Goldwater Republican, Herer is now a pro-marijuana and hemp activist. He has written two books, the aforementioned The Emperor Wears No Clothes and Grass. There has also been a documentary made about his life called, The Emperor of Hemp. He believes that the hemp plant should be decriminalized because it has been shown to be a renewable source of fuel, food, and medicine, and can be grown in virtually any part of the world, and that the U.S. government deliberately hides the proof of this. He has devoted his life to the support of cannabis, hemp and marijuana.
Jack Herer also gave his name to a specific strain of cannabis.[1]
Herer ran for United States President twice, in 1988 (1,949 votes) and 1992 (3,875 votes) as the Grassroots Party candidate.
In July 2000, Herer suffered a minor heart attack and stroke, resulting in difficulties speaking and moving the right side of his body.[2] Herer mostly recovered, and claimed in May 2004 that treatment with the psychedelic mushroom amanita muscaria was the secret.[3]