cannabisnews.com: Darrell Putman, 49, Advocate for Med. Marijuana





Darrell Putman, 49, Advocate for Med. Marijuana
Posted by FoM on December 30, 1999 at 18:56:58 PT
By David Nitkin, Sun Staff
Source: Sun Spot
Darrell E. Putman, a former Army Green Beret and conservative Republican who turned to marijuana for medicinal purposes to treat his cancer, died Wednesday of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at University of Maryland Medical Center. He was 49.In the final months of his life, Mr. Putman became an advocate for legalizing marijuana for medicinal use. He smoked the drug to regain his appetite and gain weight in preparation for cancer treatment, and wanted other patients to reap its benefits.
"He said, `If I ever left a legacy, it will be to try to get this passed for other patients,' " said his brother, Wayne E. Putman of Frederick. Mr. Putman maintained the energy to fight for causes he believed in even as his disease sapped his physical strength."During the summer, I'd work until I ran out of daylight," he told a reporter last month. "Imagine. I used to work 16 hours a day; now I need to sleep 16 hours a day. I hate it."Mr. Putman began farming full time after a 30-year military career during which he rose to the rank of Army lieutenant colonel.The Frederick native graduated from Gov. Thomas Johnson High School in Frederick. He received an associate degree in accounting from Frederick Community College and a master's degree from Loyola College. He also earned a law degree from the University of Baltimore.At 17, he enlisted in the Army and served in Vietnam with the Green Berets. After 20 years, he transferred to the Maryland Army National Guard. He retired in 1998 to run the farm he and his wife purchased eight years earlier.Mr. Putman and his wife, Shaleen Murphy, met a dozen years ago as rival carriage company owners offering tours of downtown Frederick. He once hired a lawyer to force her off her corner because she was undercutting his prices, she said."We actually hated each other," Ms. Murphy said.But they joined forces when filmmaker Barry Levinson needed horses for the filming of "Avalon." They got the contract, and a relationship blossomed during 17 weeks on the movie set.Mr. Putman's conservative politics made his advocacy for legalizing marijuana exceptional. This year, he persuaded the Howard County Farm Bureau, where he was a director, to adopt his position.On Dec. 10, Ms. Murphy and Mr. Putman married, formalizing a relationship of 12 years that yielded two daughters. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. tomorrow at Keeney and Basford Funeral Home, 106 E. Church St., Frederick.He is also survived by two daughters, Joleen Putman and Zoe Putman, both of Lisbon; a niece and several aunts, uncles and cousins.A first wife, Susan J. VanGilder Putman, and a daughter, Christie Diana Putman, died earlier.Originally published on Dec 27 1999 SunSpot is Copyright © 1999 by The Baltimore Sun, a Times Mirror Newspaper.Related Article & Web Site:Howard County Web Sitehttp://www.co.ho.md.us/Medical Marijuana Gets New Supporter - 11/27/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread3800.shtml
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