Blog

SSDP is excited to collaborate with the Global Psychedelic Society (GPS) on a special Inauguration Integration event. The GPS is streaming this panel exclusively to in-person watch party events hosted by local Psychedelic Societies around the world. Find yours here! The event will feature a panel will feature: SSDP Local Policy Discussions led by SSDP’s Gina Giorgio at the Community Alliance

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Breaking news today, January 17 2025 – President Biden commutes 2,500 nonviolent drug offenders convicted of crack cocaine offenses. This is nearly the same number of marijuana prisoners that still sit behind bars waiting to see whether he will live up to his campaign promises to free them. The Associated Press reported today that the most recent round of clemency

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We are grateful to the psychedelics newsletter, Tricycle Day, for mentioning our DOI & DOC post-trial brief in their newsletter today. Right to research: Students for Sensible Drug Policy has filed its post-trial briefing, challenging the DEA’s proposal to schedule DOI and DOC. Read the entire briefing here.

The University of Texas college newspaper, The University Star, featured an article today highlighting the potential THC ban in Texas and it’s impact on the community. SSDP Ambassador, Blake Coe, was quoted in the article. Ambassador of Students for Sensible Drug Policy Blake Coe said the ban is not a solution, but a reinstatement of past problems. “That [ban] doesn’t

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ANNOUNCING SSDP CONGRESSIONAL SESSION In 2025, the SSDP Congress will convene from March 7th – 8th, 2025, and provide each chapter in the network the opportunity to elect new student members to the Board of Directors. We strongly encourage all who believe they can commit to apply. Serving on the Board of Directors of SSDP is an invaluable, incredibly rewarding

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The Science Policy Committee (SPC) was founded in 2020 by now Drs. Elijah Z. Ullman and Lindsey K. Galbo-Thomma. As scientists studying the pharmacology of psychoactive drugs, they created the SPC to advocate and advance sensible drug policies that align with scientific data. This committee is co-led by scientists at the graduate and post-doctoral levels and ensures a collaborative effort

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Getting involved with SSDP is a fantastic New Year resolution! Below are our top 5 New Year’s Resolutions to end the War on Drugs. To get involved with SSDP in 2025, please use this form, and learn more about our chapters here.  SSDP is updating and modernizing our Just Say Know (JSK) drug education program, first launched in 2016, providing

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This new year, start an effective campaign with your chapter or community by engaging with our new Just Say Know drug education program! We’re looking for feedback and we need your help spreading our mission and building the future of drug education. Here are some ways you can help kick off JSK while building valuable skills and programs.  Tabling Set

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Curious what psychedelic research and advocacy is happening in the state of North Carolina? Want to learn about what’s coming up this Spring in the new legislative session, and how you can help support it?
 Join North Carolina Psychedelic Policy Coalition, a project of SSDP, for a Community Mixer with Representative John Autry and other sponsors of HB727, called the

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Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) is the largest national youth-led network dedicated to ending the War on Drugs. Whether you’re a student, alumnus, or concerned community member, there are multiple pathways to join our mission and make a tangible impact. 1. Start or Join a Campus Chapter If you’re a high school, college, or university student, consider establishing an

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Far too often, young people in the U.S. lack access to drug education that empowers them to make safe, informed, and healthy choices. Factors like abstinence-only school policies, misinformation, and stigma have hindered open and honest conversations about these important topics. SSDP is committed to changing that. Our Drug Education Committee is hard at work revamping our Just Say Know

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Giving Tuesday is an opportunity to use your individual power of generosity to support the nonprofit organizations that you believe in most. SSDP is the largest nationwide network of young people working to replace the War on Drugs with policies rooted in evidence, compassion, and human rights. SSDP mobilizes and empowers young people to participate in the political process and

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Join SSDP and other cannabis justice advocates in urging President Biden to use his clemency power to release every last federal cannabis prisoner before the end of this term. Today, November 18, 2024, is the National Day of Action for Cannabis Clemency. Time is running out to turn words into action. We encourage you to use your voice and call

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Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) is governed by a Board of Directors, which is comprised of both current student and youth Elected Directors, who are active chapter members elected by our membership, and Appointed Directors, who are appointed by the existing Board. Together, they are responsible for crafting strategy for the organization, overseeing compliance and financial affairs, and overseeing

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This morning in front of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, SSDP’s Science Policy Committee, a group of PhD students and other researchers who are fighting back against the War on Drugs, along with SSDP’s legal team spoke about our unprecedented court hearing kicking off today and running through November 25. You can watch the press conference

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The DEA wants to add two important research chemicals—2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-chloroamphetamine (DOC)—to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, despite decades of safe usage in labs and no history of abuse. DOI and DOC’s current status as unscheduled compounds has made them de facto tools for researchers studying serotonin receptors. They have featured in more than 900 research articles

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Thanks to The Lutrinae, the student-run newspaper covering California State University, Monterey Bay, for posting their article, “Six tips from the Students for Sensible Drug Policy to stay safe during Halloween.“ “While college students may be past their candy-collecting days, unfamiliar substances, chaotic environments and inexperience mean #Halloween can still be as risky as any horror story according to the

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Community matters at SSDP, and that is why we are hosting monthly “SSDP Hangouts” for the SSDP family to get together to share upcoming projects, seek advice, and meet like-minded leaders. What to expect at a SSDP virtual hangout: Join us on zoom on November 3 at 6:00 PM ET for our next SSDP Hangout.  Bring your ideas, a helpful

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Two years ago today, SSDP and Last Prisoner Project joined forces to mobilize a rally in Washington D.C. for cannabis justice. Our goal then (and now) is to keep reminding the President of his campaign promise to release cannabis prisoners and provide them with retroactive relief. While this administration has made progress, President Biden has yet to release a single federal

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SSDP is proud to serve as a community partner for MAPS Psychedelic Science, taking place June 16-20, 2025 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.  In 2023, Psychedelic Science hosted over 12,000 guests and was the largest psychedelic gathering in the world with classes and workshops, 10 educational stages, expo hall, and Deep Space, an immersive and interactive art experience. 

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We all know that words matter, but can the way we speak about a plant have legal implications? SSDP appointed board member and Prop 19 alum Evan Nison believes so, and broaches this important topic in a recent article he wrote that was published in Legal Reader. The article reflects on the importance of language especially within the context of

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Yes on 4, The Natural Psychedelic Substances Act, is a citizen-led ballot question that will enable therapeutic access to natural psychedelic medicines that show promise in treating mental health conditions in Massachusetts. The measure creates a regulated framework for supervised use with trained facilitators at licensed psychedelic therapy centers and removes criminal penalties for limited personal use. SSDP’s Gina Giorgio

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SSDP is leading the fight to keep psychedelic research legal! The DEA wants to add two important research chemicals—2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-chloroamphetamine (DOC)—to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, despite decades of safe usage in labs and no history of abuse. DOI and DOC’s current status as unscheduled compounds has made them de facto tools for researchers studying serotonin

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Over 100,000 people died from overdose in the United States last year. Many of these overdoses were caused by Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine that has exacerbated the overdose epidemic caused by the War on Drugs. These deaths were preventable—the criminalization and stigmatization of drugs and

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SSDP is pleased to welcome Deandré Smith as our new Director of Chapter Relations and Strategic Expansion. Deandré has experienced SSDP through many different lenses—as an SSDP Ambassador at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), where he is a Doctor of Pharmacy candidate, as an alum of SSDP’s HBCU Ambassador program and Psychedelic Pipeline, and as Vice Chair of our

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