Hugh Hefner, or "Hef" as he preferred to be called, played a crucial role in the early days of NORML. At a time when most Americans were accepting the government's "reefer madness" propaganda, Hef, through the Playboy Foundation, provided NORML with our initial funding in early 1971, and became our primary funder all during the 1970s. Hefner was a fearless cultural crusader who believed deeply not just in the right to sexual freedom, but also in civil rights and the right to privacy.
May he rest in peace.
-From NORML co-founder Keith Stroup