photo of Rob Kampia

Rob Kampia

Exec Dir
Marijuana Policy Project

Rob Kampia co-founded the Marijuana Policy Project in 1995 and has served as its executive director ever since. Rob is the architect of most of the state-level marijuana laws that have been enacted in the United States since 2000:

– Most importantly, MPP legalized marijuana in Colorado in 2012; Alaska in 2014; and Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada in 2016.

– MPP decriminalized marijuana possession via a ballot initiative in Massachusetts in 2008. Since then, MPP passed similar laws through the Delaware, Maryland, Rhode Island, and Vermont legislatures.

– MPP was also instrumental or entirely responsible for legalizing medical marijuana in Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the District of Columbia between 2000 and 2014.

Rob has provided fiery testimony before Congress twice, as well as testifying before nine state legislatures. Rob has been quoted in almost every newspaper in the United States and regularly debates prohibitionist opponents on national television, including on CNN, the Fox News Channel, the Fox Business Network, CNBC, and MSNBC. Rob also regularly discusses the marijuana issue on network television, both nationally and locally.

Rob grew up in Harleysville, Pennsylvania; graduated valedictorian of his high school class in 1986; served three months in a county jail in central Pennsylvania from 1989 to 1990 for growing marijuana for personal use; was elected student body president of Penn State University in 1992; and graduated with honors from Penn State University in 1993 with a major in Engineering Science and a minor in English.

Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.

Events featuring Rob Kampia
Events featuring Rob Kampia