Pubdate: Fri, 15 Aug 2003 Source: Beverly Hills Courier (CA) Contact: 2003, Beverly Hills Courier Website: http://www.thebeverlyhillscourier.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3084 Author: Courier Staff Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Cannabis - California) BH RESIDENT MARGOLIN JOINS RECALL RACE Longtime BH resident, attorney Bruce Margolin is one of the 135 names on the ballot for the October 7th recall election. Margolin joins fellow BH candidates Angelyne, Gary Coleman, Larry Flynt and Mike McNeilly in a race for the governor's seat. In an interview with The Courier, Margolin said he believes there is a tremendous amount of money wasted on prosecuting marijuana offenders. He said this "hypocrisy of spending of money on the enforcement of marijuana laws" could be better used for education. "These laws exemplify the waste of taxpayer dollars better used in rehabilitation and spent on the schools. We are spending hundreds and millions of dollars on incarceration and enforcement of laws that don't work, in addition to all the other hidden costs that come from those policies," said Margolin. "I am not promoting marijuana, but the right to make a choice for one's self and not waste precious resources." A family man, Margolin's three children attend Beverly Hills schools. His daughter Madison, 12, is entering 7th grade at Beverly Vista; daughter Harrison is entering 3rd grade at Beverly Vista; and daughter Allison graduated Horace Mann and BHHS and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Columbia University. Active in the community, Margolin was elected to the California State Democratic Committee in 1971, served for two years and has received honors from the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union). As a former chair of the Site Committee at Beverly Vista, Margolin says he is concerned about education and supports drug awareness and prevention programs. "As governor, I would earmark the funds saved by ending criminal prosecution of marijuana cases specifically into the state's education system," Margolin told The Courier.