Keith Stroup is an attorney and founder of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).  A  University of Illinois 1965 graduate, he enrolled in Georgetown Law School graduating in 1968.  He started working for the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission where he ment activist Ralph Nader. Nader's work inspired Stroup to create a consumer group for cannabis users.

With a $5,000 from the Playboy Foundation, Stroup founded NORML in 1970. He served as executive director until 1979, during which time 11 states adopted marijuana decriminalization laws. Due to some enternal issues Stroup left his position in the late 70's.

Stroup worked as a lobbyist for family farmers for a few years in Washington, DC, and he lobbied for artists in Boston, MA, before being hired as the executive director of the National Association for Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), the specialized bar association for criminal lawyers, also in Washington, DC, where he worked from 1989 through 1994.

In 1994, Stroup was invited to return to the NORML board of directors, and in 1995. Stroup was rehired as executive director of NORML, where he worked for the next 10 years, serving as the primary spokesperson for marijuana smokers in America. In January 2005, he announced he was stepping aside as executive director, citing the need for a younger crop of activists to take over the organization, with a fresh perspective and new ideas. Stroup remains active with NORML, serving as legal counsel, giving college lectures, and working on a book. To this day, Stroup remains the most recognizable figure in marijuana policy.

He is currently serving as Legal Counsel with NORML.