Mikki Norris (born July 18, 1952) is an American drug policy activist, former publisher, and author, known for her work highlighting the human cost of the US

War on Drugs The war on drugs is a Globalization, global campaign, led by the United States federal government, of prohibition of drugs, drug prohibition, military aid, and military intervention, with the aim of reducing the illegal drug trade in the Unite ...

. She co-authored, with husband Chris Conrad and Virginia Resner, ''Shattered Lives: Portraits From America's Drug War'' and ''Human Rights and the US Drug War''. Norris was also the co-founder, managing editor, and publisher of the ''

West Coast Leaf The ''West Coast Leaf'' was an American newsprint periodical founded by cannabis activists Chris Conrad and Mikki Norris in 2007 and which ran quarterly until it was shuttered in 2013. Its founding was inspired by the ''Oaksterdam News'', founde ...

'', the "cannabis newspaper of record" for the West Coast of the United States from 2008 to 2013. The newspaper has gone digital, and is now ''The Leaf Online''.

Education

Norris earned a bachelor's degree from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

, where she studied Sociology. She then pursued graduate studies at

California State University, Los Angeles California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) is a public university in Los Angeles, California. It is part of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system. Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor's degrees, 122 master's degrees, ...

, where she earned a Master's degree in Education.

Activism

Norris began her Drug War activism in 1989, when she and her husband, Chris Conrad, founded the American Hemp Council. They became outspoken activists and organizers for the many uses of the hemp plant. In 1993, Norris assisted her husband in curating and designing the Amsterdam Hash, Marihuana & Hemp Museum. In 1995, Norris and her husband Chris Conrad partnered with Virginia Resner to create the "Human Rights '95: Atrocities of the Drug War" photo exhibit which put a human face on non-violent prisoners of the Drug War and showed how the Drug War operates through their personal stories. Launched at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco on June 24, 1995 to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations, the exhibit looked at the issue in the context UN's Declaration on Human Rights. The grand opening presented a program called, "Give Drug Peace a Chance," and included

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, and

Dennis Peron Dennis Robert Peron (April 8, 1945 – January 27, 2018) was an American activist and businessman who became a leader in the movement for the legalization of cannabis throughout the 1990s. He influenced many in California and thus changed ...

. In November, 1995, Norris and Conrad created a photo exhibit for the Drugs Peace House in Amsterdam, Netherlands, that traveled to other European Cities. Norris created 30 smaller excerpted displays that were shown at libraries, universities, conferences, and events across the US under the name "Human Rights and the Drug War." In order to reach a wider audience with this information, she developed the web site, Human Rights and the Drug War. In 1996, for the final six weeks of the signature-gathering period, Norris and Conrad were hired on as Community Action Coordinators, managing the volunteer signature gathering campaign effort for the Compassionate Use Act, later known as

Proposition 215 Proposition 215, or the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, is a California law permitting the use of medical cannabis despite marijuana's lack of the normal Food and Drug Administration testing for safety and efficacy. It was enacted, on November 5 ...

. In 2002, Norris founded the Cannabis Consumers Campaign, which operates a website where cannabis consumers can "come out" about their experiences using the plant and take a stand for equal rights. In 2006, Norris was a hired consultant on the California Cities Campaign which ran ballot initiatives in three cities to make enforcement of marijuana possession crimes the lowest law enforcement priority. The campaigns were successful in Santa Barbara (66% approval), Santa Monica (65%) and Santa Cruz (64%). In addition, she consulted with city officials in West Hollywood and San Francisco, which passed similar ordinances that same year. In 2008, Norris was a delegate to the Beyond 2008 NGO Forum in Vancouver, British Columbia, where multiple

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

s met to advise the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

on drug policy. The following year, Norris and husband Chris Conrad attended high-level meetings at the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna, when that body adopted "respect for human rights" as one of its policy recommendations.

Awards

In 2014, Norris and husband Chris Conrad were awarded the National Cannabis Activist Award at Seattle Hempfest. In 2010, Norris and Conrad shared the Lifetime Achievement Award from Oaksterdam University. In 2006, Norris was awarded the Pauline Sabin Award at the national NORML conference. In 2004, Norris shared the Outstanding Citizen Activism Award with Conrad at the national NORML conference. In 2001, Norris and Conrad shared the Robert C. Randall Award for Achievement in Citizen Action from the Lindesmith/Drug Policy Foundation. In 1999, Norris and Conrad received recognition as "Local Heroes" in the Best of the Bay issue of the San Francisco Bay Guardian.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norris, Mikki 1952 births Living people American human rights activists Women human rights activists University of California, Los Angeles alumni California State University, Los Angeles alumni