Robert Randall, a glaucoma patient who made history in the mid-1970s by becoming the first person to attain legal access to marijuana for medicinal purposes, passed away at his home Saturday. He was 53 years old.
Randall developed glaucoma as a teenager and was told by doctors that he would likely lose his eyesight by his mid-twenties. Randall began smoking marijuana to combat his illness after learning of studies demonstrating that THC temporarily lowered intraocular pressure. He was arrested in Washington, DC for marijuana cultivation, but defeated the charges by successfully arguing the defense of medical necessity. He later petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for access to a legal supply of medical marijuana. The FDA granted him access in November 1976, and later established the Compassionate Investigational New Drug (IND) program to supply him and others with unfettered access to promising yet unapproved drugs like marijuana. Randall had been receiving monthly shipments of medical marijuana cigarettes from the federal government for 25 years.
He never lost his eyesight.
In 1981, he founded the Alliance for Cannabis Therapeutics (ACT), a non-profit organization dedicated to legalizing medical pot. ACT’s efforts were instrumental in persuading legislatures in several states to implement medical marijuana research programs during the 1980s for qualifying cancer and glaucoma patients. In the early 1990s, Randall established the Marijuana AIDS Research Service (MARS), which helped AIDS patients apply for federal access to marijuana through the IND program. The federal government closed the program to new applicants in 1992.
Seven patients continue to receive medical marijuana from the federal government.
NORML extends its sympathies to the friends and family of Robert Randall.
