Richard Lee
American marijuana rights activist (1962–2025)
Richard Seib Lee (October 7, 1962 – July 27, 2025) was an American marijuana rights activist who ran various medical marijuana programs throughout downtown Oakland, California. Lee was regarded as a central figure in Northern California's medical marijuana movement.2
From Wikipedia’s article on Richard Lee (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Born Oct 7, 1962, died Jul 27, 2025.1
About
He also operated a coffee shop. He was active in working to end cannabis prohibition from 1992.
From Wikipedia’s article on Richard Lee, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2
Companies
- Oaksterdam UniversityFounder11
Early life and education
In 2007, Lee founded Oaksterdam University, the United States' first cannabis college. The educational facility offers classes on science, politics, and legal issues related to the cannabis plant including horticulture, business management, extractions, budtending, regulatory licensing and entrepreneurship. Lee led the organization until 2012, when it was raided by federal authorities and reopened under new leadership.
From Wikipedia’s article on Richard Lee (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Career
Occupation: activist, businessperson.6 7
- Date not recordedFounded Oaksterdam University5
Personal life
Lee was born in Houston, Texas in 1962, the son of Robert and Anne (née Edwards) Lee. He had four brothers. Lee was paralyzed in a work accident in 1990 at the age of 28 when he fell from a scaffold while setting up for a concert, fracturing multiple vertebrae and leaving him in a wheelchair. He used marijuana to manage pain from back spasms and nerve pain stemming from his accident.
Lee died in Houston on July 27, 2025, at the age of 62, from cancer complications.
From Wikipedia’s article on Richard Lee (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Links
Sources
The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.
- 1WikidataRichard Lee on Wikidata
- 2WikipediaRichard Lee on Wikipedia
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- 7Wikidataoccupation, as reported
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- 11WikidataOaksterdam University, Founder
- 12Wikimedia CommonsRichard Lee photo by Narfolaxer, CC BY-SA 3.0