NORML Remembers Richard Lee – NORML

NORML regrets the passing of Oaksterdam University founder and longtime activist Richard Lee.

Richard was an entrepreneur who helped greatly advance the public’s perception of cannabis and its consumers. Years prior to the adoption of statewide legalization in California, Lee boldly opened some of the first marijuana coffeeshops in the United States, the Blue Sky Coffeeshop and The Bulldog Coffeeshop in Oakland, California. He founded Oaksterdam University in 2007, the first brick-and-mortar establishment to offer in-person educational training to those looking to enter the cannabis industry. The University has graduated over 110,000 students and provides assistance to state regulators in numerous medical cannabis states.

A passionate activist, Lee spearheaded the Proposition 19 marijuana legalization initiative in California in 2010. The grassroots effort received more than 3.4 million votes and laid the foundation for the passage of the first-ever successful statewide legalization initiatives in Colorado and Washington two years later. (California ultimately legalized the adult use cannabis market following the passage of a separate ballot initiative, Proposition 64 in 2016.)

Following a federal raid of Blue Sky and Oaksterdam by the federal government in 2012, Richard named executive chancellor Dale Sky Jones as head of the eniversity. No charges were ever filed against Lee and Oaksterdam University triumphantly re-opened its doors days later.

“Thanks to Richard Lee, opportunities have opened up for so many people,” Jones posted on the Oaksterdam website. “Richard’s vision brought new jobs, new businesses, new protection for patients, and allowed for new lives with dignity where once there was only stigma and punishment.”

She added: “Richard’s courage to fight when it wasn’t easy, when it wasn’t safe, and when few others dared, led to a domino effect of global change that we are still witnessing today. He didn’t wait for the system to catch up; he worked relentlessly to make it right. His legacy is one of freedom for individuals, freedom for communities, and freedom for families who can now thrive without the shadow of an unjust system hanging over them.”

NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano, who served on Oaksterdam’s faculty for over a decade, echoed Jone’s sentiments. “Richard Lee was a generous and courageous man — generous with his time and courageous by his actions. His contributions to the movement are immense; yet, he always remained humble. He spoke softly yet his actions carried tremendous weight. There are few people who have single-handedly advanced our cause as much as Richard Lee. His contributions and his legacy will not be forgotten.”

NORML offers its condolences to the friends and family of Richard Lee.