Chris Conrad formed the Business Alliance for Commerce in Hemp in 1988 and has been instrumental in cannabis reform based on his three point platform: Industrial hemp, medical marijuana and regulated, legal adult use and markets. He co-founded the Hemp Industries Association, Human Rights and the Drug War, authored numerous books including Hemp: Lifeline to the Future and Shattered Lives: Portraits from America's Drug War. He worked on California's Prop 215, SB 420, Measure Z, Prop 19 and Prop 64. He has taught at Oaksterdam University and presented at numerous conferences including the 2008 Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics. He has been the most active cannabis expert witness in the country, working on more than 3000 cases and qualifying in 15 States, numerous federal jurisdictions and US courts martial. He is a popular speaker and community organizer, along with his wife Mikki Norris.

I have worked with Patients Out of Time since the 1990s and find them to be an effective organization for lobbying and, most importantly, education by presenting MCME classes. One of the things that makes this group special is that it brings patients and physicians and researchers together with a holistic approach that embraces Western, traditional and alternative medicines.