Rob Kampia is an American activist who is the co-founder of the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), co-founder of Decriminalize Sex Work (DSW), and founder of the Marijuana Leadership Campaign.
In 1988 Rob Kampia was arrested for growing marijuana for personal possession while attending Penn State University and served three months in prison. This experience led him to become a marijuana legalization activist. In 1993, Kampia moved to Washington D.C. to work with NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws). He then formed MPP with Chuck Thomas and Mike Kirshner "when his relationship with NORML director Richard Cowan soured."[1]
He served as MPP's executive director from 1995 until 2017, when he stepped down amid increasing public scrutiny of men accused of sexual misconduct and harassment.[2][3][4] After resigning from MPP, in 2018, Kampia founded the Marijuana Leadership Campaign and co-founded DSW.[5] Kampia continues to be a director at both organizations. Kampia "came out" as a client of sex workers to the Washington Examiner in 2019, saying "It's important, like the gay rights movement. ... If everyone knows someone who is gay, maybe being gay shouldn't be a hassle or a crime," Kampia said. "With this, anyone who has been engaged in paid sex, on the provider or the client side, should speak up and out themselves. I just outed myself to a reporter for the first time here."[4][6]