Board of Director Members

I was born with dyslexia, tongue-tied, issues hearing tones and had an issue speaking English (spoke: Gibberish). Spent years struggling to correct for these challenges. They made me strong through the trials my mother never gave up on me. That faith she had in me gave me a determination to succeed.

When I went to college in 1992 in Bloomington Indiana at IU. I again struggled. My mother had a financial need for a car, I gave up my money from working my summer jobs to replace her car. Then I knew I did not have the money for College. So, I joined the US Army as an 82nd Airborne Medic. During the training we discovered my mother had cancer. My mother wanted me to finish my Airborne training.

Over the next few years my mother died, I finished my Army Enlistment, associate’s degree at IUSB in General Studies worked for Indiana University Bone Marrow Transplant and earned a bachelor’s degree at IUPUI in General Studies then my nursing degree in 2004. I owe a great debt of gratitude to my wife for all the dedication in helping me be a success in college, without her proofing my papers I am sure I would not have made it through.

I joined the USAF as a nurse which I did a host of jobs and deployed twice to Afghanistan first as a charge nurse at Bagram Air Base then as a critical care air transport (CCAT) nurse in Kandahar. This led me to where I am today. Advocating for Veterans and Citizens alike for Medical Cannabis. After all the trauma you know they need something and all they have to give is opioids to deal with pain that intense. You pray, and your eyes are opened one day to a miracle because you have no clue what to do. A young man having seizure has a mother walking out in faith gives their child cannabis and it works when all the FDA medications and brain surgery that placed a vagal nerve stimulator in to help but only minimally.

This one act led me to Indiana NORML.

After graduating from Ball State in 1983, Janie moved to Indianapolis and worked throughout the community in different organizations. She joined Indiana NORML because she believes cannabis should be a choice for all adults. Knowing several people whose health has benefited from cannabis use, she wants to be a part of an organization that works to reform our cannabis laws.

Steve has practiced law privately since then with a focus on criminal defense in both Federal and state courts. He served as appointed counsel in Federal court under the Criminal Justice Act for many years. He has also been appointed as a conflict public defender in Monroe County and appointed as a trial attorney for a murder retrial after successful appeal for the Public Defender of Indiana.

Steve was a longtime member, and former chair of the Criminal Justice Section of the Indiana State Bar Association. He is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the NORML Legal Committee, The Fully Informed Jury Amendment, the NAACP, the Indiana State Bar Association, and the ACLU. Steve is currently serving on the Indiana Supreme Court Committee to Study Evidence-based Pre-trial Release.

He graduated from Indiana University, Bloomington in 1975 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Sociology Double Major. He spent 13 years as a news broadcaster and photo journalist, and has been a freelance writer and photographer since.

Since 1972, Neal has conducted policy research into the issues surrounding Cannabis/Hemp/Marijuana, having published many articles on Hemp and Marijuana and produced a cable access television series “Hemp, Environment and You” in the early 1990’s. Neal organized the first pro-Cannabis protest in 1972 and has worked educating and informing people since, including working in Kentucky with Gatewood Galbraith and in Ohio with several people.

Currently, Neal serves as Chairman of the Indiana Chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (INORML) of which he has been a member since 1999. He also founded the Indiana Cannabis Action Network, in the early 1990’s. He has formed several organizations in the past including the Indiana Green Party in 2001 and the Marion County, Indiana Green Party in 2002.

Neal is a firm believer that all Hoosiers would greatly benefit from the relegalization of Cannabis/Hemp/Marijuana for all of its purposes, providing a healthier, happier and more productive lifestyle for all.

Jack has worked on many projects while at INORML including The 40th Anniversary Benefit Concert in 2015, attendance at the Indy Pride events for many years, several volunteer events, and he is currently helping to develop a new website for INORML.

When asked why he wanted to get involved Jack said “After 36 year as a salesman I wanted to use my experience with public speaking and presentations to do for something for the public good, and I feel that eliminating Cannabis prohibition is a very worthwhile cause”

“I have spoken with many people around the State of Indiana who have benefited from using Cannabis and it is a huge mistake to forbid them to use this plant. There have been many veterans who have told me directly that Cannabis has saved their lives, and if that is the case then we have no right to deny them access to this wonderful plant”

His other interests include reading, doing masonry projects, and building scale model WW II tanks.

He has extensive appellate experience arguing several cases in the Indiana Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, the federal courts of appeal, and U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Groth has also represented his union clients in over 750 labor arbitrations. He has been regularly named in “The Best Lawyers in America” and “Indiana Super Lawyers.”

Mr. Groth is a proponent of governmental accountability and transparency, and he has represented clients in lawsuits under the Indiana governmental transparency laws. In February of 2018 he was a panelist with numerous journalists at a “sunshine” event jointly sponsored by IU and the Indiana Coalition for Open Government.

Mr. Groth has also long been active in political and civic organizations, providing legal advice on a number of election law issues to political parties, candidates, and voters. In 2008 and 2012 he served as an advisor on election-law issues to the Obama Presidential Campaign. In 2007 he successfully petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court in Indiana Democratic Party v. Rokita challenging the constitutionality of Indiana’s photo ID law. He also successfully argued the landmark redistricting case involving the Marion County City County Council, Peterson v. Borst, before the Indiana Supreme Court. In 2018 he was invited to testify before the U.S. Civil Rights Commission on changes to Indiana election laws needed to provide Hoosiers with greater access to voting. He served from 2014-18 as president of the Washington Township Democratic Club.

Because of his belief in limited government, racial justice, and ending mass incarceration, Mr. Groth is a passionate advocate for ending the cannabis prohibition and making the healing and therapeutic properties of cannabis available to the general public, and ultimately, desires that all criminal penalties for its personal medical or recreational usage will be abolished.

   She is a mother of three, a wife, and leads the household of a loving veteran family. She is an active substitute teacher in her community and loves working with children. She is also trained in medical assisting, and understands the addiction crisis impacting Hoosier families.

   She has dedicated many hours of her life volunteering to better her family, community, and Indiana. Crystal is a great community leader and remains steadfast in impacting Indiana’s cannabis reform.