Richard Lee, a pioneering activist who dedicated his life to ending the war on cannabis and to creating opportunities for dignity, education, and freedom, passed away on July 27 in Houston, Texas, from complications of cancer. He was 62. Paralyzed in a workplace accident in 1990, Lee discovered the healing potential of cannabis and transformed personal tragedy into a lifelong mission to challenge prohibition and build a just, compassionate future.
In 2007, he founded Oaksterdam University in Oakland, California, the first accredited cannabis college in the United States. What began as a bold act of civil disobedience has since become a cornerstone of the modern industry, training more than 110,000 students and helping guide state regulators. Oaksterdam, alongside its coffeeshops and community projects, became both a hub of resistance and a model for what a regulated, thriving cannabis economy could look like. For Lee, education was liberation — a way to replace stigma and fear with knowledge, professionalism, and pride.
Lee’s vision reached beyond business. In 2010, he spearheaded California’s Proposition 19, investing his own resources to lead the first statewide initiative to legalize adult-use cannabis. Though it narrowly failed, the effort shattered political barriers, normalized cannabis in mainstream debate, and paved the way for historic victories in Colorado and Washington two years later. Colleagues recall that he never saw legalization as merely policy reform; it was about ending a war that criminalized patients, targeted communities, and distorted justice.
Richard was an inspiration to me and to many others. He was courageous, willing to accept the risk of arrest, trial, and potential jail, all in order to work towards the legalization of the use of cannabis. I fondly recall a moment made possible by Richard when I was invited to offer the commencement address for a graduating class of Oaksterdam University. Richard understood how crucially important it was to professionalize the cannabis dispensary industry. His strategic sense enabled him to make multiple groundbreaking achievements. He will be sorely missed.
— Rick Doblin, Founder and MAPS President
Federal raids in 2012 tested Lee’s resolve, but his movement endured. He handed Oaksterdam’s leadership to Dale Sky Jones, who carried forward his vision while Lee remained a quiet but ever-present force for change. His courage, humility, and generosity left a deep mark on generations of activists.
Richard Seib Lee was born in Houston, Texas, on October 7, 1962, into a conservative household that never predicted his role as a countercultural trailblazer. But his life defied expectation. From the pain of paralysis, he built a legacy of liberation; from the margins, he helped spark a global movement. Today, with cannabis legal for a majority of Americans, with policy changes even being seen worldwide, his fingerprints remain on those reforms. As NORML’s Paul Armentano reflected, “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.” Mr. Lee is survived by his mother, his brothers Donald, Michael, and Robert, and a grateful global cannabis community