Lester Grinspoon
Encyclopedia
Dr. Lester Grinspoon is Associate Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry
at Harvard Medical School
. Grinspoon was senior psychiatrist at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center in Boston for 40 years. Dr. Grinspoon is a fellow
of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
and the American Psychiatric Association
. He was founding editor of the Annual Review of Psychiatry and the Harvard Mental Health Letter. Grinspoon was editor of the Harvard Mental Health Letter for fifteen years.
physician
to prescribe lithium carbonate
for bipolar disorder
.
. Grinspoon worked with Ramsey Clark
on a number of international marijuana related incidents.
In 1990 Dr. Grinspoon won the Alfred R. Lindesmith
Award for Achievement in the Field of Scholarship from the Drug Policy Foundation. The award is now given by the Drug Policy Alliance
which was formed in the year 2000 by a merger of the Drug Policy Foundation and The Lindesmith Center.
Grinspoon was a prominent speaker at the 1998 NORML conference in Washington, DC.
Dr. Grinspoon endorsed Washington Initiative 1068 (2010)
in May, 2010.
. The episode, which addressed America's War on Drugs
, aired in the show's second season. Grinspoon discussed the way marijuana helped his young son while he was dying from leukemia
in the 1970s, completely eliminating the horrible nausea
and vomiting he experienced after each of his chemotherapy
treatments and, thereby, making the final year and a half of the boy's life far more comfortable, for his son, and for Grinspoon and his wife by not having to endure the pain of witnessing their son suffer.
He appeared in the 2011 MontanaPBS documentary "Clearing the Smoke: The Science of Cannabis"
Grinspoon also appeared in the Canadian documentary The Union: The Business Behind Getting High
and discussed the pharmaceutical characteristics of marinol, as well as his writing experiences with Carl Sagan
.
Lester Grinspoon is the father of the noted astrobiologist David Grinspoon
.
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
at Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
. Grinspoon was senior psychiatrist at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center in Boston for 40 years. Dr. Grinspoon is a fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
and the American Psychiatric Association
American Psychiatric Association
The American Psychiatric Association is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the most influential worldwide. Its some 38,000 members are mainly American but some are international...
. He was founding editor of the Annual Review of Psychiatry and the Harvard Mental Health Letter. Grinspoon was editor of the Harvard Mental Health Letter for fifteen years.
Personal life
Dr. Lester Grinspoon was born June 24, 1928 in Newton, Massachusetts. He is married and the father of 2 children. His oldest son died of cancer when he was 11.Medical research
As a doctor, Grinspoon was the first AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
to prescribe lithium carbonate
Lithium carbonate
Lithium carbonate is a chemical compound of lithium, carbon, and oxygen with the formula Li2CO3. This colorless salt is widely used in the processing of metal oxides and has received attention for its use in psychiatry. It is found in nature as the rare mineral zabuyelite.-Properties:Like almost...
for bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
.
Marijuana activism
Dr. Grinspoon became interested in marijuana in the 1960s when its use in the United States increased dramatically. He "had no doubt that it was a very harmful drug that was unfortunately being used by more and more foolish young people who would not listen to or could not believe or understand the warnings about its dangers." When Grinspoon began studying marijuana in 1967, his intention was to "define scientifically the nature and degree of those dangers" but as he reviewed the existing literature on the subject Grinspoon reached the conclusion he and the general public had been misinformed and misled. "There was little empirical evidence to support my beliefs about the dangers of marihuana," and he was convinced cannabis was much less harmful than he had believed. The title of Marihuana Reconsidered "reflected that change in view." He has testified before Congress, and as an expert witness in various legal proceedings, including the deportation hearings of John LennonJohn Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
. Grinspoon worked with Ramsey Clark
Ramsey Clark
William Ramsey Clark is an American lawyer, activist and former public official. He worked for the U.S. Department of Justice, which included service as United States Attorney General from 1967 to 1969, under President Lyndon B. Johnson...
on a number of international marijuana related incidents.
In 1990 Dr. Grinspoon won the Alfred R. Lindesmith
Alfred R. Lindesmith
Alfred Ray Lindesmith was an Indiana University professor of sociology. He was among the early scholars providing a rigorous and thoughtful account of the nature of addiction....
Award for Achievement in the Field of Scholarship from the Drug Policy Foundation. The award is now given by the Drug Policy Alliance
Drug Policy Alliance
The Drug Policy Alliance is a New York City-based non-profit organization, led by executive director Ethan Nadelmann, with the principal goal of ending the American "War on Drugs"...
which was formed in the year 2000 by a merger of the Drug Policy Foundation and The Lindesmith Center.
Grinspoon was a prominent speaker at the 1998 NORML conference in Washington, DC.
Dr. Grinspoon endorsed Washington Initiative 1068 (2010)
Washington Initiative 1068 (2010)
Initiative 1068 was a proposed initiative for the November 2010 Washington state general election that would remove criminal penalties from the adult use, possession, and cultivation of marijuana in Washington. The group Sensible Washington is the official sponsor of the initiative...
in May, 2010.
Media appearances
Grinspoon appeared in an episode of the Showtime series Penn & Teller: Bullshit!Bullshit!
Penn & Teller: Bullshit! is an American documentary television series that aired from 2003 to 2010 on the premium cable channel Showtime. In Canada, the series aired on The Movie Network and Movie Central.- Overview :...
. The episode, which addressed America's War on Drugs
War on Drugs
The War on Drugs is a campaign of prohibition and foreign military aid and military intervention being undertaken by the United States government, with the assistance of participating countries, intended to both define and reduce the illegal drug trade...
, aired in the show's second season. Grinspoon discussed the way marijuana helped his young son while he was dying from leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
in the 1970s, completely eliminating the horrible nausea
Nausea
Nausea , is a sensation of unease and discomfort in the upper stomach with an involuntary urge to vomit. It often, but not always, precedes vomiting...
and vomiting he experienced after each of his chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
treatments and, thereby, making the final year and a half of the boy's life far more comfortable, for his son, and for Grinspoon and his wife by not having to endure the pain of witnessing their son suffer.
He appeared in the 2011 MontanaPBS documentary "Clearing the Smoke: The Science of Cannabis"
Grinspoon also appeared in the Canadian documentary The Union: The Business Behind Getting High
The Union: The Business Behind Getting High
The Union: The Business Behind Getting High is a 2007 documentary film by Canadian filmmaker Brett Harvey.-Synopsis:The film explores the illegal growth, sale and trafficking of marijuana. Its theatrical run was limited to film festivals...
and discussed the pharmaceutical characteristics of marinol, as well as his writing experiences with Carl Sagan
Carl Sagan
Carl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, science popularizer and science communicator in astronomy and natural sciences. He published more than 600 scientific papers and articles and was author, co-author or editor of more than 20 books...
.
Lester Grinspoon is the father of the noted astrobiologist David Grinspoon
David Grinspoon
David H. Grinspoon is an American astrobiologist. He is the current curator of Astrobiology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. He has published numerous works, such as Lonely Planets: The Natural Philosophy of Alien Life, which won the 2004 PEN literary award for nonfiction.Currently, he...
.