Former Drug Smuggler Pitches Legal Pot to Seniors
Robert Platshorn went from smuggling marijuana to lobbying for the legalization of medical pot. Image: NBCMiami.com via YouTube
Drug smuggler, convict, author, entrepreneur, and now, activist: It might be hard to tell the difference between those categories when it comes to Robert Platshorn.
His is one of those only-in-Florida stories that could spring from the pages of a Carl Hiassen novel. The onetime leader of the Black Tuna Gang of marijuana smugglers is now leading the charge in the Sunshine State to get senior citizens to support legalizing the drug for medical use.
“I was looking for a niche, something where I could actually accomplish something,” Platshorn said in an interview posted on YouTube.
The “something” he has accomplished is called the Silver Tour, a roadshow/campaign to teach Florida’s burgeoning population of senior citizens about the benefits of medical marijuana. Most recently, the group has erected billboards aimed directly at seniors urging the legalization of marijuana in the state.
Platshorn’s thinking in targeting seniors is pretty well spelled out in the Sun Sentinel of South Florida:
Platshorn, 69, is dedicated to enlightening seniors about the benefits of medical marijuana. He has preached his gospel at temples and community centers. Marijuana, he says, can alleviate maladies common to the elderly, and even replace sleeping pills with unwanted side effects.
“Wouldn’t it be kinder to give mom a joint to smoke and let her go to sleep with a smile on her face?” he said.
While many young people already support legalization of medicinal cannabis, seniors bring a special advantage to the cause. “Seniors are an active political force,” Platshorn said. “Seniors vote, seniors have time to contact their representatives.”
The medical-marijuana advocate’s history, according to his bio page, includes a stint as a television and fairground pitchman for “Vita Mix and gadgets.”
Several states, including California, Colorado, and New Jersey, as well as the District of Columbia have decriminalized marijuana for medical use. But the federal government has been at odds with those states since federal law bans herb, and there’s still a “drug war” on that many, including such unlikely people as evangelist Pat Robertson, consider lost.
Platshorn himself has been a warrior on the opposite side of the government. In the 1970s, he and the Miami-based Black Tuna Gang smuggled pot from Colombia to the United States using airplanes and yachts.
Those exploits, though, ultimately landed Platshorn a 30-year jolt in federal prison.
He said that, following his 2008 release from prison, the sufferings of a neighbor’s wife who had multiple sclerosis led him to launch the Silver Tour; MS is one of the conditions advocates believe cannabis can alleviate.
After learning of his neighbor’s plight, he started studying up on the benefits of marijuana and ultimately launched the Silver Tour.
He also, by the way, has written a book, Black Tuna Diaries. He’s signing copies while on tour.
Kent Bernhard Jr. is News Editor of Portfolio.com
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