An Audience With “Mr Nice” @ The Beaver in Beverley

World renowned author, Howard Marks, aka “Mr Nice” will be appearing at The Beaver Pub in Beverley on Wednesday 29th June. 

Howard’s live shows receive rave reviews for his eye-widening stories of his life as a marijuana dealer which has seen his described in the national press as ‘the most sophisticated drugs baron of all time’.  He has also worked with the British Secret Service and is allegedly connected with the Mafia, the IRA, MI6 and the CIA.

 David Price Landlord of the Beaver said; “An audience with “Mr Nice” promises to be very interesting as he is an extremely entertaining speaker and Howard will also take to the Decks to Spin a few tunes with our other featured DJs later in the evening.  The live tour wouldn’t usually stop in a small town and we are delighted to be hosting an event for around 200 guests.”

Marks attended Oxford University where he graduated with a degree in nuclear physics and post graduate qualifications in philosophy.  During this time he was smuggling consignments of marijuana in the equipment of touring rock bands.  His drug career finally came to an end in 1988 when he was apprehended by the US Drug Enforcement Agency and detained in the federal penitentiary – Terre Haute in Indiana. 

His release came after serving seven years of a twenty-five year sentence.

His international bestselling autobiography Mr Nice published in 1996 and updated in 2010 to coincide with the Worldwide Cinema release of the film MR NICE the book has been translated into several languages and was the best-selling non-fiction book of 1997.  Of the book he comments:

“Through a plethora of media interviews and several public book readings, it became clear that the predominant reason why so many adolescents and university students read and enjoyed Mr Nice was their frustration with the law prohibiting cannabis consumption and trade.  Until then, I had no idea of the extraordinary extent of cannabis use by young people today.”

Howard has been politically active since his release from jail on the single issue of the legalisation of Cannabis, catalysing the formation of the Legalise Cannabis

Alliance.  He stood for parliament in 1997 for four separate constituencies (Norwich South, Norwich North, Neath and Southampton Test) in the general election.

He continues to campaign vigorously for the legalisation of recreational drugs even though he was ‘pipped at the post’ by Keith Halliwell in the late 90s when he applied for the position of Drugs Tsar, created by the Labour Government.

Admission for the live show is by ticket only which can be purchased from the Beaver Pub in Beverley town centre at a cost of £10.

Photos by Terence Bradford