Howard Marks
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Howard Marks is a Wales-born author who studied physics at Balliol College, Oxford. He now lives in York and is a friend of the Super Furry Animals. He achieved notoriety as an international marijuana smuggler through high-profile court cases and his eventual conviction at the hands of the American Drug Enforcement Agency. He spent seven years in America's infamous Terre Haute penitentiary. In his smuggling career he did not use violence and refused to deal with hard drugs.
Since his release, Marks has published a best-selling autobiography, Mr Nice (Secker and Warburg, 1996), which has been translated into many languages. He is a campaigner for the legalisation of cannabis and tours the world with a one-man show.
Howard Marks stood for election to UK Parliament in 1997, on the single issue of the legalise cannabis campaign. He contested 4 seats at once: Norwich South (against future Home Secretary Charles Clarke, Norwich North, Neath and Southampton Test. The average vote was over 1%.
This led to the formation of the Legalise Cannabis Alliance (LCA) by Alun Buffry in 1999.
External links
Photo of Howard Marks (http://www.bathfringe.co.uk/past/fringe98/images/howard_marks.jpg)de:Howard Marks
