Episode 3: Keith Stroup

Keith Stroup is an indispensable figure in the fight for legal cannabis. Some activists grew massive fields of cannabis in protest and others spoke with open disdain for the system. Keith used his most effective weapons, his intellect and beliefs, to effectively change the minds of the voting public and our elected officials. He was a late comer to cannabis, but in that moment Keith discovered a profound love of the plant and instinctually recognized that the stories told to the masses about cannabis and the associated dangers, just weren’t true. Keith Stroup is the founder of NORML, which to any cannabis advocate, is a household name and is often regarded as the most influential organization in the fight for cannabis legalization. Keith Stroup and NORML have been at the forefront of pushing legislative change for over 50 years. It is with great honor that we get to share his Dope History. The late 60’s were an interesting time in American history, we were at war overseas and our conscience was divided at home. At this time, the Draft for military service was in place and many eligible males were being selected for service. Keith Stroup was one of these young gentleman selected to receive combat training and experience but the idea was unappealing to him. With hindsight, we are able to pinpoint this as the moment the gears of legalization started turning in the head of Keith Stroup. It was in this era that he formed his fascination with Public Interest law, an area of law that he was only vaguely familiar with at the time. There was a recognition and connection by Keith of the “war on drugs” and the many people caught up in the legal system due to minor cannabis offenses. Like any great leader, Keith wanted better for the public and he embarked on the journey to do so. Starting a new business or lobbying group is usually not an easy task. To reach the hearts and minds of people across this nation, you need a budget to do that with. Now, imagine trying to start an advocacy group for an illegal plant that has been demonized by the controlling parties for decades. Not so easy. Today, cannabis is still a taboo subject at many dinner tables in this country, imagine broaching the subject when public acceptance was below 15% compared to the nearly 80% we enjoy currently. When you are dealing with taboo subjects, sometimes you need to reach out to taboo sources for start-up and backing money. I suspect you will be surprised when learning where NORML received its initial funding. Equally surprising is the advice Keith had received about accepting this funding from former Attorney General Ramsey Clarke. Over the years there have been dozens of federally funded institutions creating biased researched about cannabis. A wide range of government agencies and policy makers have used these findings as justifications for their rigid positions and enforcement strategies. As the years have progressed, so have the opinions regarding cannabis in the hallways and offices of decision makers across this land. The perceptions of Reefer Madness have slowly given way to reason, research, and for an ever increasing number of Americans, first-hand experience. This was all in the grand plan for Keith Stroup and NORML. In 1978, eight years after NORML was founded, eleven states had decriminalized cannabis and there was a feeling that all signs pointed towards full legalization. However the mood of the nation changed, a lesson we should still keep in mind today. Keeping true to form as a longtime consumer advocate, a large desire of Keiths’ for the legal market would be to see better safety and quality control standards of products available to the public. As is, each state has unique laws regarding testing requirements, labelling requirements, approved and banned pesticides, as well as handling and packaging protocols. A unified framework and testing methodology is one of the many goals Keith and NORML strive for. Over the decades, there have been many government agencies tasked with the responsibility of watching over cannabis, but only as an illegal substance and where the primary focus was determent and eradication. NORML and the cannabis legalization movement have gained an incredible amount of ground over the years, but the fight is far from over for Keith and others. There is an opinion amongst many policy advocates that cannabis monopolies are just as dangerous for personal cannabis freedoms as bad laws have been. Keith Stroup is one of the great intellectuals within the cannabis legalization movement and he has been able to use this gift to work on changing the system from within the legal framework. He has enjoyed a successful career serving NORML as the Founder and Executive Director, but also in the role which he currently holds, as Legal Counsel. Along the journey he has served as a lobbyist for American farmers, was a founding partner in a legal defense firm representing people charged with drug related crimes, and later he worked for a firm defending non-violent related drug offenses. Keith didn’t partake in cannabis until he was past his teens years, but that experience made an impact on him and he has been a life long cannabis enthusiast and advocate every day of his life since. The impact that Keith and NORML have made on the everyday life of cannabis enthusiasts in the United States is undeniable. It comes as no surprise Keith was awarded the 2012 High Times Lifetime Achievement Award. His contributions have been many and even today, the fight continues, Keith meets that challenge head-on, just one of many reasons Keith Stroup belongs in the corridors of Dope History.