Jason Ortiz
SSDP Science Policy Committee successfully pushes back on DEA effort to criminalize psychedelic research
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SSDP Science Policy Committee successfully pushes back on DEA effort to criminalize psychedelic research On Friday August 26, 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) withdrew proposed Schedule I status for 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-chloroamphetamine (DOC). The notice states that “The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is withdrawing a proposed rule that was published in the Federal Register on
SSDP ED to Take New Position as Director of Strategic initiatives at the Last Prisoner Project
SSDP ED to Take New Position as Director of Strategic initiatives at the Last Prisoner Project Washington, DC – SSDP’s Executive Director, Jason Ortiz, has accepted the position of Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Last Prisoner Project. He will start in his new role August 1st but will remain on staff as SSDP’s Board of Directors works through the
Rob Hofmann to join American Atheists as thier new State Policy Director!
Last week, I accepted a new position as the State Policy Manager with American Atheists, a religious equality / separation of church and state organization. My last day at SSDP will be Tuesday, August 8th. I have deeply appreciated my time with SSDP, professionally for four years and involved as a chapter member for seven and a half years. Students
10 HBCU Students Chosen for The 2nd Ever FreeThePlant.FYI Cannabis Industry Accelerator
We’re thrilled to announce the 2nd ever cohort of the FreeThePlant.FYI HBCU Industry Accelerator and welcome an exceptional group of ambassadors for this year’s class! The Student Marijuana Alliance for Research and Transparency (SMART) and Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) have chosen 10 students who will embark on an empowering journey to bring cannabis education, policy, and resources to
Students for Sensible Drug Policy and Vital Strategies Announces North Carolina Youth Overdose Prevention Initiative Fellows
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 17 , 2023 Media Contact: Jason Ortiz, SSDP jason@ssdp.org; 860-639-8101 Tony Newman, Vital Strategies tnewman@vitalstrategies.org; 646-335-5384 Students for Sensible Drug Policy and Vital Strategies Announces North Carolina Youth Overdose Prevention Initiative Fellows With Overdose Rising Rapidly Among Youth and Communities of Color, Six Fellows Across State to Create Harm Reduction Resources and Materials and Coordinated Days
Luis Montoya moving on to new position at Next Distro
SSDP is proud to announce that our very own Operations Director Luis Montoya will be moving on up to become Next Distro’s new team member! Luis will continue working with his passion for harm reduction in his new role and we could not be prouder to see him advance his career and build the movement for people who use drugs
SSDP to mobilize National 4/20 Lobby day
Students for Sensible Drug Policy to hold a national lobby day on 4/20 at Capitol Hill to end the war on drugs Primary Contact: Jason Ortiz, 1 (860) 639-8101, jason@ssdp.org Secondary: Rob Hofmann, 1 (607) 316-0227, robert@ssdp.org Washington D.C. – Students for Sensible Drug Policy will be mobilizing a national lobby day at our nation’s capitol to pressure Congress to
SSDP and allies hold press conference in support of cannabis sentence modification bill
Press Advisory Cannabis justice activists to hold press conference in support of HB6787 LOB room 1A Primary Press Contact: Jason Ortiz, jason@ssdp.org, (860) 639-8101 Secondary Press Contact: press@lastprisonerproject.org Expected Speakers State Representative Anthony Nolan State Representative Robyn Porter State Representative Anne Hughes Last Prisoner Project Executive Director Sarah Gersten Social Equity Operator and Owner of Nautilus Botanicals Luis
SSDP HBCU ambassador Program cohort 2 is accepting applications!
SSDP and our partners at SMART(Student Marijuana Alliance for Research and Transparency) are excited to announce the opening of applications for our HBCU Ambassador program Cohort 2! If you or someone you know is an active student at an Historically Black College or University(HBCU) who is interested in learning more about drug policy and opportunities in the cannabis
SSDP Congressional Lobby Day on 4/20
Students for Sensible Drug Policy to hold a national lobby day at nation’s capital to end the war on drugs Primary Contact: Jason Ortiz, 1 (860) 639-8101, jason@ssdp.org Seondary: Rob Hofmann, 1 (607) 316-0227, robert@ssdp.org Washington D.C. – Students for Sensible Drug Policy will be mobilizing a national lobby day nation’s capital to pressure Congress to adopt more sensible drug policies. They
Introducing the Students for Sensible Drug Policy North Carolina Harm Reduction Program Coordinator
Students for Sensible Drug Policy is proud to announce that Lanese Martin will be joining our team as the North Carolina Harm Reduction Program Coordinator. Lanese Martin is a community organizer with a background in electoral campaigns, policy, and advocacy on issues impacting Black people and the areas they work, live & play. As co-founder of The Hood Incubator, a
Fireside chat with SSDP’s HBCU ambassadors
Trulieve’s Sarah Mitchel sits down with SSDP’s HBCU Ambassadors to discuss their experience in SSDP’s first HBCU Ambassador program in partnership with SMART(studentmmj.com/) and powered by@Trulieve For more information on how you can join our next cohort visit www.freetheplant.fyi Featured SSDP ambassadors – Tobi Aderotoye (Howard) – Deandré Smith (FAMU) – Scotty Johnson (NCCU) – Caleb Sprowl (Morehouse College)
40 under 40 Black Champions of Cannabis
By Jacob Plowden The group of unsung heroes below are the rising stars of cannabis justice and represent the folks that are far too often not given the shine they deserved for the mountains they have moved to reduce incarceration, create economic opportunity for those who have suffered from prohibition, and building a more inclusive and powerful movement to finally
SSDP Now Accepting Applications for Cohort 4 of the Psychedelic Pipeline Mentorship Program
SSDP Now Accepting Applications for Cohort 4 of the Psychedelic Pipeline Mentorship Program Since 2020, SSDP has been facilitating the Psychedelic Pipeline, connecting SSDP members and alumni interested in working with psychedelic medicines to quality training and career development opportunities, with a deliberate focus on providing access to people of color. We are now accepting applications for the streamlined 4th
Top Five Reasons from 2022 to Support SSDP in 2023!
Top Five Reasons from 2022 to Support SSDP in 2023! Downloadable PDF SSDP is the most widespread, effective, and intersectional youth drug policy organization in the Nation. We are the only Drug Policy organization with deep roots and current programming covering cannabis, psychedelics, and harm reduction at over 100 campuses across the country, creating true pathways toward national systemic change
We made good trouble on the front steps of the White House
Monday’s protest at the White House in support of clemency for all federal cannabis prisoners reminded the President that his work on Cannabis is nowhere near done, and that the people will hold his feet to the fire until all our incarcerated friends and family are home. SSDP Student Leaders from across the country joined in the action including the
Why we’re protesting President Biden today
SSDP Student Leaders and allies to protest President Biden’s lack of follow through on campaign promise to release cannabis prisoners PRIMARY PRESS CONTACT: MAYA TATUM, IMMEDIATE PAST SSDP BOARD CHAIR, MAYA.TATUM@BOARD.SSDP.ORG, 1 (623) 2891 SECONDARY PRESS CONTACT: JEREMY SHARP: SSDP SOUTHERN AND PACIFIC REGION COORDINATOR , JEREMY@SSDP.ORG 1 (706) 540-6846 ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: PRESS@LASTPRISONERPROJECT.ORG #BidenRelease420Prisoners Washington D.C. – Student leaders from
Hip Hop Legends Redman and M1 of Dead Prez join the October 24th action at the White House
Redman and M1 of Dead Prez join the October 24th action at the White House Primary contact : Jason Ortiz, 860 639 8101 – jason@ssdp.org Washington D.C. – Hip Hop legends M1 of Dead Prez and Redman will join the rally for cannabis clemency on October 24th at the gates of White House starting at 10:00 AM. They will be
Students for Sensible Drug Policy and Last Prisoner Project celebrate first step by President Biden to fulfilling campaign promises
Students for Sensible Drug Policy and Last Prisoner Project celebrate first step by President Biden to fulfilling campaign promises Primary contact- Jason Ortiz, Executive Director of Students for Drug Policy, 860 639 8101, jason@ssdp.org Washington, D.C. – Earlier today, President Biden announced that he has pardoned all federal cannabis prisoners charged with simple possession of cannabis. We are encouraged
Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) and Last Prisoner Project Urge President Biden to Keep His Promise on Federal Cannabis Clemency
Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) and Last Prisoner Project Announce the Keep Your Promise Campaign President Biden: Keep Your Promise to Release Cannabis Prisoners Primary Press Contact: Jason Ortiz, jason@ssdp.org Secondary Press Contact: press@lastprisonerproject.org Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) has partnered with the Last Prisoner Project to conduct a series of civil disobedience actions aimed at pressuring President
Students for Sensible Drug Policy Ends Partnership with Decriminalize Nature National
Students for Sensible Drug Policy Foundation (SSDP) is disappointed by the recent anti-Semitic messaging coming from Decriminalize Nature’s National leadership (DN). After consideration of Decrim Nature’s actions, this type of messaging does not reflect the values of SSDP, and we have decided to end our formal partnership with Decrim Nature’s National leadership. For more information: DN made a post on
SSDP & SMART Unveil First Cohort of HBCU Ambassadors for Cannabis Policy and Awareness Campaign
For Immediate release: SSDP & SMART Unveil First Cohort of HBCU Ambassadors for Cannabis Policy and Awareness Campaign Washington DC: Students for Sensible Drug Policy(SSDP) and the Student Marijuana Alliance for Research and Transparency (SMART) have selected their 11 Student Ambassadors for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The chosen ambassadors will receive a stipend, professional development and support, access to
For Immediate Release: Michigan Initiative for Community Healing Certified to Begin Signature Gathering
Primary contacts: Myc Williams Myc@decrimnaturemi.org 305-304-0466 Julie Barron Julie@decrimnaturemi.org March 28, 2022 For Immediate Release: Michigan Initiative for Community Healing Certified to Begin Signature Gathering Lansing, Michigan — The Michigan Board of State Canvassers (BOSC) certified that the Michigan Initiative for Community Healing could begin collecting the required 340,047 signatures needed by June 1st to qualify for
Open Letter on Youth Engagement to Ms. Ghada Waly, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime
Students for Sensible Drug Policy Foundation and Students for Sensible Drug Policy International, alongside 64 NGOs, call on the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to provide transparency on youth involvement in decision making and ensure their meaningful participation in the development and implementation of drug policies and programs. Signatories include 19 youth organizations, 13
