An early glass pipe entrepreneur, Herer opened his first
head shop in 1973. In 1985, Herer self-published
The Emperor Wears No Clothes, a book — in 2020 in its fourteenth edition after having been continuously in print for 35 years — frequently cited in efforts to
decriminalize and legalize cannabis and to expand the use of
hemp for industrial use. In 1987, Herer opened the
Third Eye Shoppe head shop in
Portland, Oregon. Herer's son Mark Herer took over as the shop's owner in 2001. The Third Eye closed on March 31, 2017. A former
Goldwater Republican, Herer twice ran for
President of the United States, in
1988 (1,949 votes) and
1992 (3,875 votes), as the
Grassroots Party candidate.
Health problems and death In July 2000, Herer suffered a minor
heart attack and a major
stroke while attending the BioFach trade show, resulting in difficulties speaking and moving the right side of his body. Herer mostly recovered, and claimed in May 2004 that treatment with the
Amanita muscaria, a
psychoactive mushroom, was the "secret". On September 12, 2009, Herer suffered another heart attack while backstage at the
Hempstalk Festival in
Portland, Oregon. He was discharged to another facility on October 13, 2009. Paul Stanford of The Hemp and Cannabis Foundation said, "He is waking up and gazing appropriately when someone is talking... but he is not really communicating in any way." On April 15, 2010, Herer died in
Eugene, Oregon, from complications related to the September 2009 heart attack. He was 70 years old at the time of his death. Herer was buried at the
Eden Memorial Park Cemetery in
Mission Hills, California. ==Criticism==