Dr. Mikuriya spent more than four decades investigating the medical utility of pot, beginning with an appointment as the Director for Marijuana Research for the National Institute of Mental Health in 1967. In 1972, he published Marijuana: Medical Papers 1839 - 1972, a collection of essays documenting the historical use of medicinal cannabis in Western culture. He later became an outspoken advocate for cannabis law reform, and played a key role in
persuading the California legislature to decriminalize pot possession in 1975.

Mikuriya gained prominence among modern cannabis activists by speaking in favor of the medical use of pot for a wide variety of psychosomatic indications, such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and alcoholism. Dr. Mikuriya was a co-author of California's Proposition 215 initiative, and is credited with drafting the language that authorizes physicians to recommend cannabis for "any other illness for which marijuana provides relief," a clause which remains unique to California's medical cannabis law.

After Proposition 215's passage in 1996, Dr. Mikuriya became one of the most prolific recommenders of medicinal cannabis - a stance that made him a frequent target of both the California Medical Board and the federal government. In the decade since the law's enactment, Dr. Mikuriya recommended cannabis to an estimated 9,000 patients.

In 2006, Mikuriya was a recipient of NORML's "Lester Grinspoon Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Marijuana Law Reform" in recognition of his life's work in support of the legalization of medicinal cannabis.

"Tod was a true pioneer of cannabis medicine," said California NORML coordinator Dale Gieringer. "At a time when its medical use had been abandoned, he rediscovered the forgotten medical literature on cannabis and agitated to restore it to the pharmacopoeia. Tod later campaigned to make this a reality by helping to draft Prop. 215, and after its passage, he went on to found the modern practice of cannabis medicine."

NORML and Illinois NORML express our sincere condolences to the friends and family of Tod Mikuriya.

A NORML AudioStash tribute to Tod Mikuriya's work and legacy may be downloaded at:
http://audio.norml.org/audio_stash/NORML_Daily_AudioStash_05_23_2007.mp3