“Down for the Cause” is Bruce Margolin's memoir, covering his career as the "dean of cannabis law" and as an ardent advocate for the decriminalization and legalization of marijuana. He has been "down for the cause" since the heyday of the 1960s in Los Angeles, when he was horrified by teenagers and young adults with no criminal intent being thrown behind bars along with rapists and murderers for enjoying a little weed or hustling to supply their friends with some friendly smoke. He quickly became well known for defending those who didn't "just say no" and for keeping them out of jail and prison.
Bruce struggled to become an attorney, his undiagnosed dyslexia meant he had to study a lot harder than others, but his older brother had wanted to be a lawyer, and when he died at an early age from leukemia, Bruce took up the mantle. His father's untimely death also affected Bruce deeply, making him seek out the answers to the deeper questions of life. To explore his search for meaning, Bruce left his booming law practice to travel, winding up in India where he met Ram Dass (whose book, Be Here Now, had a profound impact on him) and Ram Dass's (and his) guru, Neem Karoli Baba, who touched his heart deeply.
When Bruce returned to the West, he brought to his law practice a yogic outlook, a spirituality based on the Vedic concept of dharma (right living) mixed with the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam (the "repair of the world"), and a regular meditation practice. He was called upon to defend Dr. Timothy Leary, the Pied Piper of LSD, in the trial that followed his escape from prison. Margolin's defense of the man President Nixon labeled as "the most dangerous man in America" was a valiant attempt to bring the concept of the punishment fitting the crime to the forefront of America's attention, as Leary had originally been sentenced to ten years for simple possession of a very small amount of marijuana.
As a prominent voice for those imprisoned for cannabis, and as the founder and director of the Los Angeles chapter of NORML (the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), Bruce ran for political office a number of times in order to promote the idea of legalization, and came close to winning.
Today, when an overwhelming majority of US adults say marijuana should be legal both for medical and recreational use, Bruce provides an overview of how legalization, in all its complexity, was accomplished in his home state of California. He publishes the The Margolin Guide to Marijuana Laws, used across the country by those in law enforcement, judges, lawyers, and cannabis advocates and users alike to make sure they know the most recent rulings.
“Down for the Cause” is a slice of history as seen through one man's life and his passionate plea to leave behind the days of "reefer madness" and harsh penalties in the war on drugs.
