FROM VIETNAM TO THE CASTRO
Born in the Bronx in 1945, Dennis Peron’s cannabis journey began during his service in Vietnam, where he discovered the plant’s effects firsthand. Returning home, he smuggled two pounds in his duffle bag—a move he later described as the start of a “40-year career” dedicated to cannabis liberation.
SAN FRANCISCO’S REBEL HEART
Settling in San Francisco’s Castro District, Peron became a fixture of the city’s 1970s counterculture. He ran what was called a “cannabis supermarket” from his apartment, opened the Big Top Café, and aligned with Harvey Milk to push Proposition W in 1978, a city initiative calling for an end to cannabis arrests. Though it passed with 56% of the vote, enforcement never followed.
LOVE, LOSS & THE AIDS CATALYST
In 1990, Peron’s partner Jonathan West died of AIDS. Cannabis had eased West’s pain during his illness, and Peron’s grief transformed into a mission: to frame cannabis not as rebellion but as medicine. His personal loss became the emotional spark for a larger movement, particularly as AIDS ravaged San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ community.
PROP P & AMERICA’S FIRST DISPENSARY
By 1991, San Francisco voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition P, with 80% supporting medical cannabis access. That same year, Peron co-founded the Cannabis Buyers Club—the first U.S. dispensary. It provided patients safe access to flower, edibles, and a sense of community, setting the blueprint for all dispensaries that followed.
PROP 215: COMPASSION WINS
Despite repeated raids and arrests, Peron co-authored Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act. In 1996, it passed with 55.6% of the vote—5.3 million Californians supporting medical legalization. California became the first state in the nation to legalize cannabis for patients, opening the door for what would become a nationwide reform movement.
RAIDS, RISK & VICTORY
Days before Prop 215 went to the ballot, the Cannabis Buyers Club was raided and Peron himself arrested. Yet the public vote carried the day, overruling law enforcement efforts. The passage of Prop 215 sparked a domino effect that led to legalization in more than 30 states.
ACTIVIST, ADVOCATE & ANGEL
Peron’s work bridged cannabis activism with LGBTQ+ advocacy. For him, cannabis was never just about consumption—it was about dignity, healing, and compassion. His dispensary was a sanctuary for patients, a place where policy and personal care intertwined.
A FULL CIRCLE FAREWELL
Before his passing in 2018 at the age of 72, Peron witnessed both of his lifelong causes succeed: medical cannabis legalization and marriage equality. He married his longtime partner John Entwistle, closing his life in a world reshaped by the battles he had fought.
LEGACY: THE HEART OF A MOVEMENT
Dennis Peron was not a CEO or a corporate figure. He was a grassroots activist, a grieving lover, and a true believer. Today’s multi-billion-dollar cannabis industry rests on the foundation laid by people like him—those who risked everything so others could heal.
YOUTUBE VIDEO
— Nugg Notes
sources:
•“America Mourns Passing of Dennis Peron, Father of Medical Marijuana” – Leafly (2018)
•“Dennis Peron, Activist Who Helped Legalize Medical Marijuana, Dies” – SFGate (2018)
•“Dennis Peron Lived Long Enough to See His Goals Met” – San Francisco Chronicle (2018)
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