Former NORML staffer Sabrina Fendrick's revelation in her recently published book Tokin' Female that she was harassed by the organization's then board chair and current longtime board member Steve Dillon is stirring up reaction among women in the cannabis industry.
Fendrick writes about two 2012 incidents involving Dillon in the book. Both times he made suggestive comments and hugged her:
The first, as reported at CelebStoner on May 28, was at the office the day before a board meeting. "Following a consensual goodbye hug," she remembers, "Dillon's hand settled on my back before moving slowly down my waist to pull me in closer.
"'You're so sexy. I can't stand it,'" he whispered. "'I'd love to see you wet and naked in the shower.'"
Several months later, it happened again, this time on stage at the NORML Conference in Los Angeles.
"As I pivoted from the podium, Dillon was a looming figure inches away, waiting to greet me with a hug... His voice, a low and intimate rasp, sent a shiver of unease through me."
"'You're voice is so hot,'" he said. "'You sound so sexy when you speak.'"
Contacted by CelebStoner, Dillon, a lawyer based in Indianapolis, categorically denied harassing Fendrick:
"I never harassed that young lady. I might have told her she was pretty or had a sexy voice. I never told her I wanted to see her naked in the shower. I was never alone with her, never pressured her and never touched her inappropriately. I was just too flirty and loose with my words. I apologized to the board and said I will be more careful not to offend anyone in the future."
However, Mara Felsen, who has worked with Patients Out of Time, tells a similar story about Dillon. She commented at Facebook:
"He's a super gross creeper extraordinaire! Creeped on me repeatedly... It’s just wild how brazen and insane it was. Followed me around endlessly at an Aspen Legal Seminar. Plopped himself down at my table uninvited at multiple restaurants. Super creepy and one of the weirdest things I’ve experienced."
Debby Goldberrry, who co-founded Berkeley Patients Group, also had a negative experience with NORML dating back to when Don Fiedler was executive director from 1989-1991. She also commented at Facebook:
"When I spoke about the same stuff with the same group 25 years ago, all I got was pushback. The then head of NORML made a joke about me from the conference podium involving a hot tub, which horrified me (I must have been around 24 or 25 years old at the time and he was in his 60s). They recorded the audio and sold the tape. I asked them to erase the harassing comment and they absolutely refused. So gross. It's far from the worst thing NORML did to me."
Mara Felsen on Steve Dillon: "He's a super gross creeper extraordinaire!"
Dillon: "I was just too flirty and loose with my words."
Who Is Steve Dillon?
According to NORML, "Stephen W. Dillon, Esq. is an attorney in Indianapolis, IN specializing in criminal defense and constitutional law. A graduate of Purdue University and the Indiana University School of Law, Dillon served briefly as a public defender before entering private practice, and has headed his own firm, Dillon Law Office, since 1988.
"Dillon is an active Libertarian who has been that party’s candidate for several statewide offices, including Secretary of State, Governor and U.S. Senator. He is a long time member of the NORML Legal Committee, and served on the NORML board from 1991-1994, before rejoining the board in 1998. Dillon helped start Indiana NORML in 1974 and is currently State Coordinator of Indiana NORML."
In a 2020 article, NORML founder Keith Stroup noted, "Dillon has been an active member of NORML since joining in 1973. He attended his first NORML Conference in 1973... Dillon is one of the original members of the NORML Legal Committee and regularly attends NORML Legal Seminars in Aspen and Key West... In 2009, Dillon received the NORML Lifetime Achievement Award."
More News
• 2025 Cannabis Industry Events Guide
• Catherine Hiller's Just Say Yes
