Devon Tackels
2014 Western Regional SSDP Conference was a Success
Blog Post written by SSDP Outreach Intern, Sam McBee Last Saturday, March 1st, over 100 SSDP students, supporters, and alumni met at the UC Hastings College of Law in San Francisco for the 2014 SSDP Western Regional Conference. The day long conference was packed with events that focused on criminal justice issues, harm reduction, medical research of drugs, cannabis legalization,
Another One Bites the Dust
Earlier today, Politico broke the news that US Representative Frank Wolf (R, VA) will not be seeking re-election in 2014. This news is very exciting for drug policy reformers, as Rep. Wolf is one of the few remaining members of Congress still suffering from Reefer Madness. You may recall Rep. Wolf from his statements in opposition to medical marijuana reform
A New Year with New T-shirts
The new year is just around the corner, and SSDP will be designing new T-shirts for our students, supporters, and alumni for 2014. But we need your help! We are looking to our grassroots network of supporters to help us design our next T-shirt! We’ll be collecting suggestions and designs from our supporters from now until the end of 2013
SSDP Welcomes Our Newest Chapter in Pennsylvania
SSDP is very excited to announce the establishment of our latest chapter at Temple University. Located in the heart of Philadelphia, SSDP at Temple University is excited to get to work next semester on a variety of issues taking place in the great state of Pennsylvania. I was able to talk with chapter leader and founder, Rachael Friedmann, and here
SSDP Gains Another Chapter in the Midwest
SSDP is excited to announce the establishment of another chapter! This time, our latest addition comes to us from Springfield, Missouri where chapter leader, Zach Altland, started Students for Sensible Drug Policy at Missouri State University. Zach was faced with several obstacles when he decided to start his chapter in the conservative state of Missouri, but he persisted and today
SSDP Welcomes Another Law School Chapter
SSDP is excited to announce the newest chapter to join our network! Hailing from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Law Students for Sensible Drug Policy at the University of Michigan is already off to a great start. After attending SSDP’s 2013 Marijuana Lobby Day in Washington, DC, Reid Murdoch went home to Ann Arbor and started a chapter at the beginning of
SSDP Welcomes Our Newest Chapter at SUNY Binghamton
SSDP is happy to announce that another chapter has joined our student activist network this week! SUNY Binghamton SSDP has recently become established on campus, and chapter leader, Stephanie Izquieta, is excited to get to work changing policy in the Empire State. I was lucky enough to have the chance to catch up with Stephanie last week about SSDP. Here
SSDP Welcomes a New Chapter at UC-Irvine School of Law
This month, SSDP gained another chapter at the University of California (UC) Irvine School of Law! UC – Irvine School of Law will join our other law school chapters to address the harms and failures of the drug war from a legal and academic perspective. Being a law student gives you a unique perspective to address the drug war and
SSDP Events at the 2013 International Drug Policy Reform Conference
Later this month, more than one thousand drug policy reformers will gather in Denver, Colorado for The International Drug Policy Reform Conference. The Reform Conference is a biennial event, hosted by the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) that brings together people and activists from around the world who believe that the war on drugs is doing more harm than good. More
SSDP Gains a New Chapter in Kentucky
This past week, SSDP gained a new chapter in the Commonwealth of Kentucky at Western Kentucky University. WKU SSDP recently received official registered organization status on campus, and chapter leader Kelly Cannon is excited to get to work. With the recent start of the Fall semester, WKU SSDP is looking for new members on campus to join their team. WKU
U.S. Department of Justice Won't Challenge State Marijuana Laws
From: http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2013/August/13-opa-974.html Today, the U.S. Department of Justice announced an update to its federal marijuana enforcement policy in light of recent state ballot initiatives that legalize, under state law, the possession of small amounts of marijuana and provide for the regulation of marijuana production, processing, and sale. In a new memorandum outlining the policy, the Department makes clear that marijuana remains
Eric Holder Announces Changes in DOJ Drug Sentencing Policy
Attorney General Eric Holder announced news yesterday suggesting a major change in the way the Department of Justice (DOJ) handles low-level, non-violent drug offenders and federal mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines as part of a greater effort to reduce the US prison population and reform our criminal justice system. It’s no secret that the US hosts about 5% of the world’s
SSDP and "The Cause B Show" Join Forces in Brooklyn
IMMEDIATE RELEASE | BROOKLYN, NY Thursday, August 16th “The Cause B Show: LIGHT em UP”, at Over the Eight (594 Union Ave, Union and Richardson) a stand-up comedy show featuring some of New York City’s top comedians raising money for Students for Sensible Drug Policy. The event is the third in a continuing series of shows produced solely to benefit causes in need. In addition to the
Roosevelt University SSDP Successfully Enacts Campus Good Samaritan Policy
Written By: Vilamarie Narloch, Co-President of Roosevelt University SSDP Last week, I received an e-mail which included the sweet, sweet phrase that many of us SSDPers work long and hard to see, “After careful and detailed consideration, I am happy to say we will be adopting the Good Samaritan Protocol and it will be in place for this coming academic
SSDP to Host Reception on Capitol Hill Following Federal Marijuana Lobby Day
I am excited to announce that Students for Sensible Drug Policy will be holding a reception on Capitol Hill next Monday, June 17th, at the conclusion of our Federal Marijuana Lobby Day featuring special guest speakers Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) and conservative stalwart Grover Norquist. As we join together on the Capitol grounds, we aim to bring together some of
Announcing SSDP's Newest Chapter: Green Mountain College
We’re pleased to announce that SSDP gained another chapter in the Northeast Region this week, as Green Mountain College SSDP became officially recognized on campus. Just over a month old, GMC SSDP has already attended an SSDP Activist Training and is about to hold their first meeting on campus. I got the chance to ask Mason, our chapter founder and
Let's Talk About Drug War Economics
Tax Day. That dreadful deadline that we all have to meet is just around the corner. When most people think about Tax Day they don’t often think about drug policy, but maybe they should be. Every year in the United States, we spend more than $51,000,000,000 on drug prohibition. That is a significant portion of your tax money being spent
One Million Police Hours Spent on Marijuana Arrests in NYC
A new report released yesterday shows us that during the last ten years, the NYPD has spent approximately 1,000,000 police hours arresting people for marijuana possession. In that time, they have managed to arrest over 440,000 people for minor marijuana charges, costing taxpayers over 75 million dollars last year alone. These are hours that police officers might have otherwise have
SSDP to Partner with MAPS for Psychedelic Science 2013
SSDP is extremely excited to announce that we will be partnering with our friends at MAPS for the upcoming Psychedelic Science conference this April. SSDP staff members will be at the conference talking to interested students, alumni, and supporters who share our mutual interest in changing drug policy surrounding psychedelic substance research and therapy. Additionally, MAPS has graciously extended their
SSDP Welcomes Our Newest Chapters!
It’s a very exciting week as an Outreach Director when I get to see the establishment of not one, not two, but three new SSDP chapters in our national chapter network. The national office is excited to announce the charters of campus chapters at Whittier Law School, Grinnell College, and Ursinus College! Read more about our latest additions below in
SSDP Welcomes Newest Chapter at the University of Pittsburgh
Today, SSDP welcomes our newest chapter in Pennsylvania at the University of Pittsburgh. Matt Ashford, who is studying towards his Masters of Social Work, recently re-started the chapter and looks forward to shaking things up on campus. He was recently inspired to start an SSDP chapter after having issues with the way Pennsylvania legislature addresses marijuana and alcohol policy within the
2013 SSDP Resources for Students
So, it’s 2013, and you need more resources to make your SSDP chapter run like a well oiled machine. Turns out you are in luck. SSDP has tons of student resources for you. No matter what you are doing with your SSDP chapter, we have the tools to help you out. Take a look at some of our resources, and
Start The Spring Semester With a Bang!
It’s January, and for most of our students that means it’s time to start the Spring semester. Like many other SSDPers, you might be asking yourself how you can start off the new year with a bang. So, I thought I would share some exciting event ideas that you can host to attract new members to your chapter, while also
SSDP To Host 2013 Leadership Webinar Series
As the Spring semester starts back up, one of the easiest ways to learn how to become a better activist and chapter leader is through SSDP’s Leadership Webinar series. Each semester, we host an ongoing series of webinars aimed at making you the best SSDPer you can be by addressing important areas of leadership and chapter management based on our years of
Reflections on Hempstravaganza
Written By: Samantha Goldman In April of 2011, I would have never dreamed that I would coordinate a week of events the following April to educate my peers at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York about the wrongful prohibition of industrial hemp growth in America under marijuana laws and the plant’s potential economic, health, and environmental benefits. It was my
