Rob Kampia

Rob Kampia is the founder of the Marijuana Policy Project. Born circa 1969 in Harleysville, Pennsylvania, Kampia grew up in a Lutheran family and became valedictorian of Souderton Area High School in 1986[1]. He earned a BA in engineering science from Pennsylvania State University in preparation for becoming an astronaut. After those plans were derailed by a three-month prison sentence in late 1989 for growing cannabis in his Pennsylvania State University apartment, he began single-mindedly pursuing marijuana legalization[2]. In 1995, he organized MPP, operating out of his bedroom and going $6,000 into debt. The organization grew rather quickly, eventually becoming the largest cannabis reform group in the United States. In 2000, while living in the Adams Morgan area of Washington, DC, he ran for Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives on the Libertarian ticket, but lost to Eleanor Norton.

Kampia's past has frequently come under fire from his opponents. For instance, Drug Watch International referred to him in 2001 as "an admitted drug user". [3].

References

• D.C. Election News and Voters Guide, The Washington Post, 2000.
• Drug Promoters Influence Now Involves National Polls?, DrugWatch International, 2001.
• Burkitt, Janett: Former Valedictorian Fights to Change Marijuana Laws, Capital News Service, Nov. 22, 1996.