Dennis Peron

Dennis Peron 2008 by Cary Newman

Dennis Peron (April 8, 1945 – January 27, 2018) was an American activist and entrepreneur who was a prominent figure in the movement to legalize cannabis in the United States. He is best known for his role in the passage of California Proposition 215, which legalized the use of medical cannabis in California.

Early Life

Dennis Peron was born in The Bronx, New York City, and grew up in Long Island. He served in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War, where he first encountered cannabis. After his service, he moved to San Francisco, California, in the early 1970s.

Activism

Peron became involved in the gay rights movement and the anti-war movement in San Francisco. He was a close associate of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in California. Peron was also a co-founder of the Castro-based Cannabis Buyers Club, the first public medical cannabis dispensary in the United States.

Proposition P

In 1991, Peron was instrumental in the passage of San Francisco Proposition P, a measure that called on the state government to permit the medical use of cannabis. This local initiative laid the groundwork for broader state-level reforms.

Proposition 215

Peron's most significant achievement came in 1996 with the passage of Proposition 215, also known as the Compassionate Use Act of 1996. This landmark legislation allowed patients and their primary caregivers to possess and cultivate cannabis for medical use with a doctor's recommendation. Proposition 215 was the first law of its kind in the United States and paved the way for other states to adopt similar measures.

Later Life and Legacy

After the passage of Proposition 215, Peron continued to advocate for the legalization of cannabis. He ran for California Governor in 1998 on a platform that included full legalization of cannabis. Although he did not win, his campaign helped to keep the issue in the public eye.

Peron passed away on January 27, 2018, in San Francisco, California. He is remembered as a pioneering figure in the cannabis legalization movement and a champion of medical cannabis patients' rights.

See Also

• Cannabis in California
• Medical cannabis
• Harvey Milk
• LGBT rights in the United States
• California Proposition 64 (2016)