Howard Marks, aka Mr. Nice, dies at 70

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11 years ago

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- Updated on March 2, 2026
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Howard Marks dies

Tributes are piling up around the passing of cannabis legalization campaigner and CBD Crew co-founder via seed bank Mr Nice Seedbank, Howard Marks, who lost his battle with bowel cancer at the age of 70.

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Father of 4, Mr Nice died at his home in South Wales, according to the Guardian. A true character, Howard Marks lived many lives.

A student at Oxford, where he discovered artificial pleasures, he earned his reputation above all as an international cannabis trafficker in the 70s. At his peak, his biggest shipments reached 30 tons, and he was connected with groups as diverse as the CIA, the IRA, MI6 and the Mafia. Howard Marks was finally sentenced by the DEA to 25 years in prison in 1988, and was released in 1995 after 7 years. Known by 43 different identities during his life as a smuggler, he got his nickname «Mr Nice» from a passport he had bought in the name of Donald Nice, a known murderer by the way.

After his release from prison, he published his autobiography, Mr Nice, which will be made into a film, and publicly campaigns for changes in drug legislation, particularly in the UK.

He was involved in the Mr Nice Seedbank, alongside Shantibaba, and was also part of the CBD Crew. We saw him at Cannafest Prague and Spannabis in 2013.

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Our thoughts are with his family and friends.

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Do you have a question about this article?

Aurélien founded Newsweed in 2015. Particularly interested in international regulations and the various cannabis markets, he also has an extensive knowledge of the plant and its uses.

2 Comments

  1. IHP

    April 11, 2016 at 15 h 37 min

    Sadness...
    by chance? I finished his autobiography yesterday (10/04)...RIP Bro!

  2. gh0stwrit3r

    April 14, 2016 at 16 h 32 min

    RIP man.

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