Trailblazing Cannabis Activist Steve Fox Has Died at 53

Steve Fox, the lead drafter of Colorado’s Amendment 64 – which sparked adult-use cannabis legalization in the U.S. – has died at age 53, the Denver Post reports. Amendment 64 passed in 2012 with a little more than 55% of the vote.

In a Facebook post, Vicente Sederberg LLP, which Fox co-founded in 2013 and served as a managing partner of VS Strategies, described Fox as having “wisdom beyond his years and a pioneering spirit.”

“Steve was an ‘old soul’ with a knack for seeing things in a new light. He was strongly principled, deeply empathic, and fiercely kind. And despite his usually soft-spoken and lighthearted demeanor, his opinions rarely went unheard and always carried significant weight.” – Vicente Sederberg in a Facebook post

Fox conceptualized and co-founded Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER) and co-authored the 2009 book “Marijuana Is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People To Drink?,” according to the Vicente Sederberg post.

Fox had also worked for President Bill Clinton’s second presidential campaign in Little Rock, Arkansas, as well as in Congress, Mason Tvert, a friend and colleague of Fox told the Post.

“He made me feel like we could do anything,” Tvert said in an interview with the Post. “This guy, he was truly passionate about helping people, both those around him and those that he knew were being affected by bad policies. And he never got a ton of recognition and he didn’t really seek recognition. He was always proud to be the guy behind the scenes.”

Vicente Sederberg said Fox’s “passion for politics and policy were exceeded only by his passion for people.”

“He had a burning desire and uncanny ability to envision and effect positive change, both societally and in those closest to him,” the post says. “He was not just a remarkable human being, but a truly transformational leader.”