Scott Tracy Imler (1958-2018) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

who advocated

medical marijuana Medical cannabis, or medical marijuana (MMJ), is cannabis and cannabinoids that are prescribed by physicians for their patients. The use of cannabis as medicine has not been rigorously tested due to production and governmental restrictions ...

use in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. He worked with

Dennis Peron Dennis Robert Peron (April 8, 1945 – January 27, 2018) was an American activist and businessman who became a leader in the movement for the legalization of cannabis throughout the 1990s. He influenced many in California and thus changed ...

, a fellow

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...

activist, during the movement for the legalization of marijuana in the 1990s. He was a co-author of

Proposition 215 Proposition 215, or the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, is a California law permitting the use of medical cannabis despite marijuana's lack of the normal Food and Drug Administration testing for safety and efficacy. It was enacted, on November 5 ...

or the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, the law permitting medical marijuana in the state. Imler was also a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

minister.

Cannabis Movement

When California Governor

Pete Wilson Peter Barton Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 36th governor of California from 1991 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as a United States senator from California bet ...

vetoed a bill legalizing marijuana in 1991, Imler worked with Peron and Dale Gieringer to establish a political action committee called Californians for Compassionate Use."Brief History of Medical Cannabis in San Francisco During the 90's". Mission Cannabis Club , Cannabis Dispensary and Delivery San Francisco CA. 2020-04-10. Retrieved 2022-10-21. In 1992, he was first prompted by Peron to file an initiative in Santa Cruz similar to Proposition P, a resolution calling on the state government to permit medical cannabis within San Francisco. This resolution, which was called Measure A, became the second local medical marijuana initiative approved in California after Peron's proposition. The PAC next sought to expand its initiative and launched a voter-led referendum for entire California also known as Proposition 215. It initially encountered problems until it gained traction with the support of philanthropists such as

George Soros George Soros ( name written in eastern order), (born György Schwartz, August 12, 1930) is a Hungarian-American businessman and philanthropist. , he had a net worth of US$8.6 billion, Note that this site is updated daily. having donated mo ...

, Peter Lewis, and

George Zimmer George Zimmer (born November 21, 1948) is an American businessman. He is the founder, former executive chairman (1973–2013) and former CEO (1973–2011) of the Men's Wearhouse, a clothing retailer with more than 1,200 stores in the US and Canad ...

. The initiative was passed on November 5, 1996, making California the first US state to legalize marijuana use. One of Imler's earliest initiatives that contributed to the cannabis movement in California was the establishment of a center that raised and dispensed marijuana for medical use by

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

and

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

patients. The initiative directly impacted Imler since cannabis was also used to treat

glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that result in damage to the optic nerve (or retina) and cause vision loss. The most common type is open-angle (wide angle, chronic simple) glaucoma, in which the drainage angle for fluid within the eye rem ...

and

epileptic Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrical ...

spells, illnesses that he suffered. Through the help of defense attorney

John Duran John J. Duran is an American municipal politician and a former mayor of West Hollywood, California. Political career Duran was elected to the City Council on March 6, 2001. He succeeded outgoing City Council member Paul Koretz, who was elected to ...

, who later became

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most ...

mayor), this became the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Cannabis Resource Center, the first patient-based medical marijuana cooperative in southern California. By 2001, the facility had served about 900 members. The co-op operated until Imler announced its closure in the same year. This development came after the

DEA The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic enf ...

raided LACRC, which also incited a Federal backlash against medical marijuana use. The raid was carried out three weeks after the

9/11 terror attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated Suicide attack, suicide List of terrorist incidents, terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, ...

. Imler was prosecuted but was never jailed. Imler was an ordained minister and the pastor of the Methodist Church located at the Fountain and Fairfax in West Hollywood. The church also served as a dispensary and "sanctuary" for those who wanted to receive and use medicinal marijuana. Imler was married to George Leddy for 30 years. He died on August 09, 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Imler, Scott 1958 births 2018 deaths American cannabis activists Cannabis in California