Brownie Mary and her legacy cannabis Life Network

Did you know that one of the most prolific medicinal cannabis activists began her career at the age of 57? Brownie Mary was not only a cannabis advocate, but also a strong ally during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. Additionally, she was one of the driving forces behind the popularization of the pot brownie.

Meet Brownie Mary, born (ironically) Mary Jane Rathburn (December 22, 1922 – April 10, 1999). She identified as an anarchist, atheist and activist. She was interested in social change from a young age, initially campaigning for mining unions and abortion rights. She moved to San Francisco during World War II, married and then divorced. She raised her daughter Peggy in Reno, Nevada. Peggy tragically died at the age of 22 and Mary moved back to San Francisco.

The Birth of Brownie Mary

Mary was a waitress at the International House of Pancakes for most of her life. In the 1970s, she began selling pot brownies on the side. It is estimated that she made about five hundred brownies a day. She was soon noticed by the Castro District community in San Francisco (with a little help from flyers she gave out), and in 1974 she became friends with cannabis advocate and LGBTQ+ activist Dennis Peron.

By the 1980s, Mary had gained some notoriety in the community. She soon got her nickname “Brownie Mary”. Unfortunately, she also caught the attention of the police. An undercover officer arrested her in 1981. A subsequent raid on her home discovered 18 pounds of cannabis, 54 dozen cannabis brownies and an assortment of other illegal substances.

This arrest resulted in her doing 500 hours of community service. She spent much of this time with the Shanti Project, which at the time was primarily focused on helping the AIDS epidemic and cancer patients. She soon noticed that many of her Brownie customers were gay men, many of whom had AIDS. Cannabis was a relief to victims of AIDS as its primary role was to help maintain appetite and reduce pain. Mary soon began giving out the brownies to AIDS sufferers for free.

Next life

In 1982, Mary was arrested again for possession, but she was unrepentant. Continuing her work, she was invited by Dennis Peron to speak at the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) in the 1990s about her experiences using cannabis to relieve AIDS symptoms. Soon, she and Dennis joined forces to fight for Proposition P in 1991 to legalize medical marijuana and protect doctors from prescription penalties. The proposal was backed by 79% of San Francisco voters in 1991.

Mary’s final arrest came in 1992, where she was released on bail. She continued her activism and fought against the restrictions imposed on medical Marijana by the George HW Bush administration. In 1996, she and Dennis Peron collaborated to write Brownie Mary’s Marijuana Cookbook and Dennis Peron’s Recipe for Social Change. Tragically, her famous “magically delicious” brownie recipe isn’t included in the book.

Brownie Mary’s Legacy

She died of a heart attack in 1999 and hundreds of people attended her vigil. Her friend, attorney Terence Hallinan, told the crowd that she “would one day be remembered as Florence Nightingale of the medical marijuana movement.”

Her legacy, hailed as “Angel With Foul Lips,” still lives on. In 1992, the San Francisco Board of Directors declared August 25 “Brownie Mary Day” to recognize her work with AIDS patients. Her work paved the way for the contemporary use of Marijanna in medicine and inspired many modern studies on its medicinal uses. It is speculated that the loss of her daughter inspired her to adopt the AIDS community as her own children. According to Mary herself in an interview with the Chicago Tribune, “I didn’t go into it because I thought I was a hero. It was something I wanted to do to help my gay friends and it just took off.”