Jasper Grootveld R.I.P.

Jasper Grootveld, creator of "Happenings" and the inspiration behind the Provo Movement in Holland (which became the most influential radical political movement of its time), died in a nursing home yesterday at the age of 76. Jasper is one of the primary reasons why Holland is the only country in the world that tolerates sale of cannabis to adults.

After a trip to Africa, Jasper became inspired by tribal shamanism, became a critic of tobacco (because of its links to cancer) and a proponent of cannabis, which he saw as a more healthy alternative to tobacco. He began holding his "Happenings" in Spui Square in the early 1960s in front of a statue erected by a cigarette company. The Happenings drew large numbers of "nozems" who where the disaffected teenagers of Amsterdam, and sparked the Provo movement, which worked to democratize and improve life in Holland for students and the working class.

Unfortunately, Grootveld suffered from bipolar disorder and struggled with depression for his entire adult life. He attended one Cannabis Cup, the third, which was held in 1990. During the Awards Show at Sensi Seed's Hemp Museum, Grootveld staged a Provo demonstration against the practice of raising female plants without seeds (sinsimellia), which he considered a sin against the natural order.