Playboy’s Part in Weed Legalization
It’s True! Hugh Hefner Had a Hand in Funding Legalization. Here’s How…
What if I told you that the strides we’ve made in cannabis legalization are in big part because of Playboy?
Yes….we’re talking about that Playboy.
Have you ever heard of NORML? It stands for the National Organization of the Reformation of Marijuana Laws and was one of the first cannabis lobbying groups.
It was founded in 1970 by a young attorney by the name of Keith Stroup.
Now, when taking on this kind of work, funding becomes an important part of the process and Stroup found his ally in Playboy founder, Hugh Hefner.
Mr. Stroup sent a proposal for funding to The Playboy Foundation, which focuses on social justice and human rights….and to his surprise, he received a response!
He and Hugh Hefner met, and shortly thereafter, The Playboy Foundation donated $5,000 in 1971 with the promise to donate more if things went well with the first $5,000.
Oh, they did! The Playboy Foundation committed over $100,000 per year throughout the 1970s and was the primary funder of NORML.
And they also gave NORML free ad space and news coverage in their magazines.
Some of NORML’s accomplishments during this time were:
11 states decriminalized cannabis
Sued the Federal Government for the classification of cannabis
Helped shift the public opinion of cannabis
Without this funding from The Playboy Foundation, who knows how far NORML would have gotten…or what the legalization landscape would look like today!
Bless the blunt
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