DR. TOD MIKURIYA, 73, ADVOCATE FOR MEDICINAL USE OF POT

Berkeley, Calif.- Dr. Tod Mikuriya, a psychiatrist who was a leading
figure in California's medical marijuana movement, died from
complications of cancer Sunday. He was 73.

He helped draft a state ballot measure that legalized marijuana for
the seriously ill who have a doctor's recommendation. Since its
passage in 1996, Mikuriya had written approvals for close to 9,000
patients, said his friend, Fred Gardner.

Mikuriya had studied the drug's therapeutic potential since the 1960s
and briefly directed marijuana research at the National Institute of
Mental Health. He left when he realized the government only "wanted
bad things found out about marijuana," he told the online
newsmagazine AlterNet in 2004.

In 1999, Mikuriya founded the Society of Cannabis Clinicians to
educate colleagues about the plant's medical uses. He wrote books on
the subject and kept a list of medical conditions that had been eased
by cannabis; among the 285 ailments were many cancers, insomnia and stuttering.

In 2000, Mikuriya was accused of unprofessional conduct and
incompetence in recommending marijuana to 16 patients after allegedly
failing to conduct proper physical exams and keep adequate records.

Placed on probation by the state in 2004, Mikuriya appealed and
continued to practice under the supervision of a state monitor.

Mikuriya saw the charges as politically motivated and had planned to
continue appealing them when his health failed.