Rachel Wissner
ARE YOU SENSIBLE?
Students for Sensible Drug Policy is running our annual Sensible Society membership drive from now through May 31st. The Sensible Society is SSDP’s monthly giving club. Since its launch in 2014, the Sensible Society has made it possible for tens of thousands of SSDPers to have the resources and training they need to mobilize worldwide and fight for sensible drug
Darkhei Rephua and SSDP Present: Bicycle Day Psychedelic Pseder
What are your plans for Bicycle Day this year? Students for Sensible Drug Policy and Darkhei Rephua are putting on our first-ever Bicycle Day Psychedelic Pseder! The Psychedelic Pseder will be an evening of song, stories, and psychedelic celebration of Pesach (Passover), holistic liberation, LSD, and the launch of WeLoveAcid.com A seder is a Jewish ritual feast that takes place
SSDP 2022 Award Nominations Are Open
Every year at our annual conference, Students for Sensible Drug Policy recognizes the exceptional achievements of our members, chapters, alumni, and allies. While SSDP will not be hosting an international conference this year, we will be hosting a virtual award ceremony and hopefully gathering in person this fall to celebrate our award winners and nominees from the last three years.
We’re behind
At Students for Sensible Drug Policy, we deeply value all of our community members, whether they are alumni, students, youth, funders, or allies. We believe that our community should always be informed about our programs and financials, so I wanted to share with you our progress towards our fundraising goal this year. The fact is, we are behind. We are now
Rachel’s SSDP Origin Story
I wouldn’t be where I am today without the help of SSDP supporters like you, so I would like to tell you my SSDP origin story. Ten years ago, I was expelled from high school for drug possession. As both an honor student and a “troubled teen,” I felt so angry and disenfranchised for being punished and stigmatized, rather than
Carmen’s SSDP Origin Story
Today is Giving Tuesday and it’s my one-year anniversary of working at Students for Sensible Drug Policy, so I am sharing my SSDP origin story with you. In 2012, shortly after my college graduation, I was arrested for cannabis possession. I was both ashamed of my arrest and fearful that I had jeopardized my future. After my experience with the
Join SSDP for psychedelic events in New York City this week
This week, Students for Sensible Drug Policy will be in New York City for the Horizons: Perspectives on Psychedelics Conference. To register with our special discount code for students + youth, email carmen@ssdp.org. We’ll also be co-hosting three side events during the conference! Check out the schedule below: Thursday, December 2nd – Psychedelic New York: Community, Advocacy, and Connection Location:
Here’s to 23 years of Students for Sensible Drug Policy
SSDP is celebrating our 23rd birthday this month, will you celebrate with us today? 23 years ago, the drug policy movement was in a much different place. In the fall of 1996, members of the Student Drug Reform Movement (SDRM) began to chat over the internet using a Drug Reform Coordination Network (DRCNet) discussion page. In 1997, the Rochester Cannabis
SSDP Welcomes Rory O’Brien, Jacob Plowden, and Jeremy Sharp to the Team
Students for Sensible Drug Policy is thrilled to welcome three new full-time staff members to our team. Rory O’Brien ’19 joins us as our first Communications Manager, Jacob Plowden ’15 joins as our New York State Coordinator, and Jeremy Sharp ’12 joins us as our Pacific Region Outreach Coordinator. Rory O’Brien ‘19 (she/her/ella) is the Communications Manager for Students for
SSDP Newsletter – July 2021
Note from Executive Director, Jason Ortiz ’08 Hello SSDP! As the new Executive Director of SSDP, I’m excited to share all the amazing work we’ve been doing over the last few months to pass cannabis laws, create opportunities in the psychedelic space, and continue to lift the voices of those most impacted by the war on drugs. If after reading
We’re hiring!
Have you ever wanted to work for Students for Sensible Drug Policy? We’re hiring for THREE positions, and this could be your chance to land your dream job! Working for SSDP is an opportunity to serve our network of students who are leading the charge to end the disastrous War on Drugs and heal the harms of drug prohibition. SSDP
It’s Time to Retire the War on Drugs
50 years ago today, former US President Richard Nixon declared drugs and people who use them “public enemy number one.” Since then, the global War on Drugs has taken the lives of thousands and ruined the lives of millions through criminalization, incarceration, and making drug use dangerous under prohibition. The War on Drugs was racially motivated from the very beginning. John Ehrlichman,
#Sensible2021 is in three days!
In three days, hundreds of drug policy reformers across the globe will unite (virtually) to envision a more sensible future for all. Will you be one of them? #Sensible2021: The Virtual Drug Policy Conference makes activism as easy as clicking a link and Students for Sensible Drug Policy invites you to be a part of the movement by getting online
Announcing the #Sensible2021 Program
Next week, Students for Sensible Drug Policy will be gathering virtually for 11 sessions, two keynotes, three networking sessions, and an awards ceremony and virtual dance party. Sensible2021: The Virtual Drug Policy Conference will provide cutting-edge educational content that will sharpen our skills as activists fighting the failed drug war. You won’t want to miss our biggest event of the year
Announcing the keynote speakers for #Sensible2021: The Virtual Drug Policy Conference
In just two weeks, #Sensible2021: The Virtual Drug Policy Conference will bring together Students for Sensible Drug Policy members, alumni, allies, community members, movement leaders, and many more for four days of cutting edge educational content, as well as an Awards Ceremony and dance party. This conference is available to anyone with an internet connection, with tickets starting at $40
Register now for #Sensible2021 before rates go up
This week is the last week for Early Bird registration for #Sensible2021: The Virtual Drug Policy Conference. Starting Friday, March 19th, registration rates will go up. We don’t want you to miss out, so register today for the biggest SSDP event of the year! These are our lowest prices yet, with tickets starting at $25 for students, chapter members, and
Voting for #Sensible2021 sessions is open!
Here at Students for Sensible Drug Policy, we take our role as a grassroots organization seriously. That means involving you in our programmatic decisions. Right now, we’re in the process of developing sessions, speakers, and other content for #Sensible2021: The Virtual Drug Policy Conference, our annual global conference taking place online April 29-May 2. We invited our network to submit their ideas,
SSDP Welcomes Jason Ortiz as Executive Director
Students for Sensible Drug Policy today announces Jason Ortiz, a long-standing alumnus who first became involved with SSDP in 2008, has been selected to serve as Executive Director. “To have the opportunity to lead the organization that has been such a huge part of who I am today is both an honor and a dream come true”, said Ortiz, who
Submit a Session Proposal for #Sensible2021
We’re serious about Students for Sensible Drug Policy’s member-run nature. We want #Sensible2021: The Virtual Drug Policy Conference speakers and sessions to reflect the amazing things SSDPers are working on and meet your needs as an organizer and activist. For the sixth year in a row, we’re calling on you to propose session ideas and vote on your favorites. Whether
January 2021 Report Card
The Report Card is back! After taking a brief hiatus in January, we’re back to inform you on the exciting work SSDPers across the globe are doing. This month SSDP International, our sister organization, held their Inaugural General Assembly. This historic moment for SSDP saw the election of the SSDP International founding Board of Directors, the adoption of a new
Today is your last chance to double your gift
Today is the last chance for gifts made to Students for Sensible Drug Policy to be doubled this year. 2020 is almost over, and I’m sure you’re as excited as I am to head into 2021. This year was filled with enormous challenges and tragedy. We’ve witnessed death and devastation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, global civil unrest and upheaval,
Donate to SSDP and be entered to win an EVRI Starter Pack
This December, all gifts made to SSDP will be generously matched up to $55,000 by some of our staunchest supporters who know that ending the War on Drugs takes a grassroots network of young people fighting for sensible drug policy on their campuses, in their communities, and at national and international level. We have some more exciting news: in addition
November 2020 Report Card
What a year it has been for cannabis policy reform! Between the seven winning U.S. state ballot initiatives for adult use and medical cannabis legalization, the United Nations vote to remove cannabis from Schedule IV- recognizing its medicinal benefits, and the passage of the MORE Act in the United States House of Representatives, we have seen a historic blow to
SSDP Welcomes Carmen Jackman to the Team
Carmen Jackman (’19) has joined SSDP’s team as our new Development Associate! In this role, Carmen will be supporting SSDP’s fundraising efforts, building relationships, and managing SSDP’s monthly giving club. Carmen Jackman is a native Marylander and Washington, D.C. area-based designer, researcher, and organizer. She played Division 1 Tennis at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) where she obtained
October 2020 Report Card
Students for Sensible Drug Policy’s October Report Card is out! The United States 2020 election has now largely concluded. Although it took a few days to tally the final votes before a Presidential winner emerged, there was one clear winner right from election night: drug policy reform. Ballot measures for medical and adult-use cannabis legalization passed in blue, red, and
