When asked how he wants to be remembered, Dr. Phil Leveque was quick with his answer.
“Pot doc.”
Pot doc is just one of his nicknames. In the 1990s, he was also dubbed the Most Dangerous Man in Oregon.
The well-known and somewhat controversial doctor who helped legalize medical marijuana in Oregon is in hospice care in Happy Valley.
He said he feels like people are finally catching up to what he’s been advocating for years, and he is proud of that.
“Pretty good for a Hood River farm boy,” he said.
Leveque’s friends say he has dedicated his life to helping others even in the face of controversy.
“I have been studying the medical use of marijuana since 1950 and I am very proud of the fact that I essentially introduced medical marijuana to the state of Oregon.”
With a Ph.D in pharmacology and toxicology, Leveque helped legalize medical marijuana in Oregon in 1999. At the time, he granted thousands of medical marijuana cards, which caught the attention of the medical board.
His medical license was revoked in 2004, which ended his career as a doctor.
Asked if it was worth it, he did not hesitate.
“Hell, yes,” he said. “If I hadn’t done this, nobody else would have. You bet, you bet.”
He feels vindicated in his efforts and pointed to last November’s 56-43% vote to legalize recreational pot in Oregon, which takes effect in July.
“Heck, yes, 10 years ago, it was poison and very addicting.”
Leveque, who turned 92 last Sunday, said it’s just “like 91, only a little older.” He shared his life’s reflection.
“Well, I didn’t expect to live through World War 2, so every day since May 7, 1945 has been a gift.”
And when asked what he’s most proud of, he said, “Surviving until I was 92, I think.”
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: The final days of ‘Pot Doc’ Phil Leveque
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UPDATE:
Phillip Leveque, a longtime marijuana legalization advocate, died Saturday in Happy Valley. He was 92.
Leveque was one of the first physicians in Oregon to sign off on patients’ use of the drug after the state’s medical marijuana law was passed in 1998, said Paul Stanford, another longtime advocate of marijuana legalization and a friend of Leveque’s.
Leveque was a regular co-host of Stanford’s weekly show, Cannabis Common Sense. Stanford said the pair hosted 350 episodes of the show between 1998 and 2006.
After medical marijuana became legal, lines of prospective patients lined up to meet Leveque to ask for medical marijuana recommendations, said Stanford. Stanford, who owns medical marijuana clinics, said Leveque traveled the state to see people who wanted to use marijuana as medicine.
“He is gratefully appreciated by many, many thousands of people in the state,” Stanford said.
Sandee Burbank, a medical marijuana advocate who owns medical marijuana clinics in Oregon, said in the early years of the medical marijuana program Leveque was one of the only doctors who would help sick people obtain permission to use medical marijuana.
“He was the only one that was aggressively doing that,” said Burbank, who said Leveque signed off on her first medical marijuana card around 1999. “He stood up and he took the hits.”
Leveque’s death was noted by several prominent marijuana activists in Oregon, including Anthony Johnson, chief petitioner of Measure 91. The measure, approved by Oregon voters last fall, legalizes marijuana for people 21 and older and creates a regulated marijuana industry.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Phillip Leveque, early advocate for medical marijuana in Oregon, dies | OregonLive.com
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