Lynn Pierson (1951-1978)
“Lynn died without ever receiving his first legal joint but Lynn did not fail. His valiant efforts produced the New Mexico model for medical marijuana, a standard that would be taken to other states and adopted overwhelmingly.
There would be new allies. The fight would go on. But Lynn was special. Pathfinders always are. ❖
Marijuana Rx: The Early Years (1976-1996)
Robert C. Randall and Alice O’Leary Randall
Lynn Pierson, a Vietnam veteran from Albuquerque, became a courageous advocate for medical marijuana in the late 1970s. Struggling with terminal cancer and the debilitating side effects of chemotherapy, Pierson publicly defended marijuana’s value in easing his pain and nausea from chemotherapy. He single-handedly lobbied for the nation’s first marijuana-as-medicine law in February 1978.
Newspapers and editorials of the time recognized the significance of his fight, framing marijuana not as a criminal issue but a matter of humane medicine. Pierson’s advocacy gave a human face to the movement for patient access. He died in August 1978 at a veterans hospital, but his legacy lived on: New Mexico named its current medical cannabis program in his honor.
Further information
The following articles are scans of original news clippings. For additional clippings see the Archives Pages on this website.
Alternatively, newspapers.com is an excellent source for contemporaneous stories about the medical cannabis movement.