Blog

SSDP is gathering together in Detroit, MI next week for Drug Policy Alliance's Reform Conference. Our staff, board members, chapter leaders, and ambassadors from coast to coast will be attending the conference, hosting an overdose prevention workshop, and leading panel discussions. We're hosting a welcome party on Wednesday, November 12 ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Gina Giorgio Director of Strategy and Development Students for Sensible Drug Policy gina@ssdp.org Statement from Students for Sensible Drug Policy On the Extrajudicial Killing of Unarmed Fishermen in the Name of the “War on Drugs” Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) condemns in the strongest possible ...

SSDP’s PA Cannabis Day of Unity brought together a bipartisan coalition in support of legalizing cannabis for adult use in Pennsylvania. On Monday, October 27, SSDP hosted a booth in the Main Rotunda of the State Capitol, and dropped off literature to the PA House & Senate in support of ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   Contact: Gina Giorgio Director of Strategy and Development Students for Sensible Drug Policy gina@ssdp.org PA Cannabis Day of Unity: Bipartisan Advocate Coalition and Lawmakers Call on Pennsylvania to Legalize Cannabis Advocates call on lawmakers to pass SB 120 and finally bring fair, regulated cannabis legalization to Pennsylvania ...

We call on the Pennsylvania General Assembly to legalize, regulate, and tax cannabis products for adults 21 and older to advance freedom, health and safety, and justice, while generating much-needed revenue for the Commonwealth and its residents. Each year, Pennsylvania authorities make over 10,000 arrests for cannabis possession. This mass ...

Join us on Thursday, October 30th at 7pm ET to discuss the spookiest side of policy, the ones in desperate need of reform! Come hang out with other SSDP folks, give and get advice for a successful semester, and meet our national board members. This event is open to the ...

On 10/20/25, SSDP Executive Director, Kat Murti, testified before the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure in support of An Act to Clarify the Minimum Age for the Sale and Purchase of Adult-Use Products (H.330/S.221). H.330/S.221 directly addresses Massachusetts law with a confirmation that the statewide age ...

We are excited to share that California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 602, the Campus Overdose Prevention Act, into law. The bill protects students from receiving disciplinary action when they call for assistance or are victims of an overdose-related incident. Current campus policies leave students vulnerable to suspension for ...

SSDP is proud to be a co-sponsor for the 4th Annual Florida Harm Reduction Conference taking place at the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront from January 26-29, 2026. The call for abstracts and posters are now open. We invite submissions that advance harm reduction practice, research, policy, and community empowerment, especially ...

Last week in Raleigh, we had the privilege of co-hosting a powerful evening with VETS: Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions, the North Carolina Psychedelic Policy Coalition, Democratic Representative Eric Ager, and Republican Senator Bob Brinson at the Alamo Drafthouse. Together, we brought community members, Veterans, researchers, and bipartisan policymakers into the ...

Last week, I had the honor of joining The Pearl Institute for their 4th Annual Gathering of the Pearl at the Highland Events Center in Asheville, NC, a night of connection, celebration, and renewal. The evening kicked off with a special gratitude party for sponsors on the rooftop and we ...

Two dangerous ballot initiatives, 25-09 and 25-10, threaten to undermine cannabis legalization in Massachusetts. Since Massachusetts voters legalized adult-use cannabis in 2016, the state has reduced arrests, lowered youth use rates, and created a thriving, regulated industry--but all this is at risk if these measures pass. Don't let prohibitionists take ...

SSDP is submitting a letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom's office urging him to sign AB 602, the Campus Overdose Prevention Act. The bill will protect students from receiving disciplinary action when they call for assistance or are victims of an overdose-related incident. Shifting campus responses from punishment to health-centered ...

SSDP Ambassador and former chair of SSDP's Science Policy Committee, Elijah Ullman, PhD, co-authored the Cover Story of the August edition of The Pharmacologist focused on Cannabis Rescheduling as part of the ASPET (American Society forPharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics) Drug Research Policy Subcommittee. The policy statement discusses how drug scheduling ...

Join the SSDP's Chapter Networking Collective for our next virtual hangout on Thursday, September 25th at 7:00 PM ET on zoom. Come hang out with your SSDP family, give and get advice for a successful semester, and let SSDP national leaders know how they can support you. Visit this Zoom ...

SSDP's Law & Justice Committee will be hosting a meeting on Wednesday, October 1st at 12:00 PM PT, 3:00 PM ET. We invite all attorneys, law students, pre-law track undergraduates, and other subject matter experts to join. Anyone in the SSDP community that feels called to join may apply. The committee ...

Our educational partners at Oaksterdam University will host three amazing live training programs starting mid-September that may interest you in getting future-ready. Oaksterdam University is the global leader in cannabis education, providing the highest quality training to entrepreneurs, regulators, educators, and people interested in a career in the cannabis industry. These ...

Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) applauds the reintroduction of the MORE Act as a critical step toward dismantling the failed war on cannabis. For far too long, cannabis has remained classified as a Schedule I substance; defined as having a “high potential for abuse with no recognized medical use.” ...

Today, August 29th 2025, Representative Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), along with Cannabis Caucus Co-Chairs Dina Titus (NV-01) and Ilhan Omar (MN-05), and House Committee on Small Business Ranking Member Nydia Velázquez (NY-07) reintroduced the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, one of the most comprehensive marijuana reform bills ever introduced in ...

Chicago Health reports that the Compassionate Use and Research of Entheogens (CURE) Act is the first major effort to legalize clinical use of psilocybin in the state of Illinois. The legislation would establish a licensing system and advisory board to allow qualified practitioners to administer psilocybin for mental health treatment. While the ...