Blog
Cannabis Law Report: SSDP Calls for Science, Not Prohibition, on 7-OH and Kratom
Cannabis Law Report recently highlighted Students for Sensible Drug Policy’s work advocating for a science-based, harm reduction approach to kratom, 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), and emerging products. The article spotlights SSDP’s recent webinar, “Kratom, 7-OH, and Emerging Products: A Science-Based Safety Primer,” which brought together experts and advocates to examine what the ...
From “Just Say No” to Just Say Know: SSDP Alum Rhana Hashemi Talks Harm Reduction and the Future of Drug Education in The Microdose
Students for Sensible Drug Policy is proud to see SSDP alum and drug educator Rhana Hashemi featured in The Microdose, the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics’ newsletter, discussing what young people actually need from drug education. In the interview, “From ‘just say no’ to just say nothing,” ...
TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Stop Criminalization of 7-OH, SR-17018, and tianeptine
The federal government is moving to place 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), SR-17018, and tianeptine into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act — three very different compounds with different pharmacological profiles, patterns of use, and bodies of scientific evidence. Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) is calling on Congress to intervene. Tell ...
Learn the Cannabis Industry from the People Who Helped Build It: SSDP + Oaksterdam University
Long before legal cannabis became a multibillion-dollar industry, Oaksterdam University was training the people who would build it — and helping create the movement that made it possible. For years, Students for Sensible Drug Policy and Oaksterdam University have shared more than overlapping communities. Our histories are intertwined with the ...
Psychedelic Harm Reduction Guide
Developed by Students for Sensible Drug Policy’s Psychedelic Committee and Science Policy Committee Psychedelics can powerfully alter sensation, cognition, and emotion, and should be taken withcare. Check out these tips and tricks to strive for a safe experience. Download this helpful flyer and use it for tabling at festivals, on campus, ...
Opposition to the Criminalization of 7-OH (Found in Kratom)
In California, Bill SB 758 proposes to classify 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), which is a naturally occurring alkaloid found in kratom, as a Schedule I substance. A Schedule I classification would prevent vital research into the safety, dosage, and therapeutic potential of 7-OH. Students for Sensible Drug Policy opposes this bill because ...
SSDP Has Filed Its Official Comment Opposing the DEA’s Proposed 7-OH Ban — Now We Need Your Voice
Today, Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) officially submitted our public comment opposing the Drug Enforcement Administration's proposal to temporarily place 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) above a specified threshold into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. Our comment reflects decades of evidence, scientific research, and the lived experiences of people whose ...
SSDP & Broad National Coalition Urge Senate Leaders to Advance Comprehensive Cannabis Reform
Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) is proud to join a broad coalition of organizations, led by the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), urging Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to move forward with comprehensive federal cannabis reform. The coalition's letter, embedded below, calls on Senate ...
Time Is Running Out to Stop the SR-17018 Ban – New Legal Action Filed!
On July 31, the Drug Enforcement Administration is expected to move forward with the emergency scheduling of SR-17018— a promising NIH-funded research compound that scientists have spent years studying as a potential pathway toward safer pain treatment. Today, Students for Sensible Drug Policy is proud to stand alongside the Rights ...
Thousands Mobilize Against DEA’s Proposed 7-OH and SR-17018 Bans as July 31 Deadline Nears
Public opposition to the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) proposed ban on 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), a naturally occurring metabolite of the kratom plant, has already surpassed the historic 2016 campaign that stopped the agency's attempt to ban kratom. Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) has created easy-to-use advocacy tools to help the ...
SSDP Files Request for Extension of 7-OH Comment Period
With the July 31 deadline rapidly approaching, Students for Sensible Drug Policy is urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to extend the public comment period on its proposed emergency scheduling of 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH). Although this proposal could have far-reaching consequences for scientific research, public health, and individual ...
WATCH: Kratom, 7 OH, and Emerging Products: A Science Based Safety Primer
In a collaborative webinar between Students For Sensible Drug Policy & 7-HOPE Alliance, we explore kratom, 7-OH, and other emerging products. Featuring addiction neuroscientist Dr. Michele Ross and moderated by SSDP’s Finnegan McGuinness, this session breaks down what we know—and don’t know—about safety, drug interactions, and key warning signs. Whether ...
WATCH: The Next Front in the War on Drugs: Can We Stop Another Prohibition?
This powerful conversation from Healthy America 2026 explores the proposed federal bans on 7-OH and SR-17018, the science behind these compounds, and the potential consequences for research, pain treatment, public health, and individual freedom. Panelists discuss why they believe prohibition is the wrong approach — and what citizens can do ...
SSDP Alum Kellen Russoniello Featured in AMERSA Webinar on Involuntary Treatment
Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) is proud to see SSDP alum Kellen Russoniello, JD, MPH, continuing to bring a drug policy and harm reduction perspective to critical conversations about how we respond to substance use. Russoniello recently joined the Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance Use and ...
Drug Policy Is Climate Policy: Toward Ecological Harm Reduction
The United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) is the central drug policy-making body within the United Nations system. During the 69th Session (March 9 to 13, 2026), SSDP was able to bring several young people to Vienna, Austria to make their voices heard. In this installment of a blog series capturing ...
Reflections on the 69th Session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs: Brooke Shockey Sanders
The United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) is the central drug policy-making body within the United Nations system. During the 69th Session (March 9 to 13, 2026), SSDP was able to bring several young people to Vienna, Austria to make their voices heard. In this installment of a blog ...
One Year After the HALT Fentanyl Act, Scientists Are Still Waiting for Promised Research Access. SSDP Releases Roadmap to Reduce Research Harms.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kat Murti Executive Director Students for Sensible Drug Policy kat@ssdp.org One Year After the HALT Fentanyl Act, Scientists Are Still Waiting for Promised Research Access. SSDP Releases Roadmap to Reduce Research Harms. A new policy paper written by members of SSDP’s Science Policy Committee outlines recommendations ...
🚨 ACTION ALERT🚨 Help SSDP stop the criminalization of SR-17018!
On July 1st, 2026, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) published a temporary order to place 5,6-dichloro desmethylchlorphine or SR-17018 into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). SR-17018 was developed by researchers studying opioid receptor signaling as part of an effort to separate pain relief from respiratory depression, tolerance, ...
DEA’s Holiday Weekend Emergency Scheduling Order Pushes Criminalization Over Harm Reduction and Risks Slowing Development of Safer Pain Medicines and Addiction Treatments
DEA's Holiday Weekend Emergency Scheduling Order Pushes Criminalization Over Harm Reduction and Risks Slowing Development of Safer Pain Medicines and Addiction Treatments FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kat Murti Executive Director Students for Sensible Drug Policy kat@ssdp.org DEA's Holiday Weekend Emergency Scheduling Order Pushes Criminalization Over Harm Reduction and Risks Slowing ...
Help SSDP Get Our Comms on Track!
Want to see more news, updates, and opportunities from SSDP? We're looking for volunteers to help us get our comms back on track! There are currently four open volunteer positions. Time commitment varies for each but all will need to be able to join weekly meetings (time/date TBD). Email alaina.jaster@board.ssdp.org ...
We do this work because the war on drugs is a war on us.