Blog
SSDP Welcomes gina vensel to Board of Directors
Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) is elated to welcome our newest appointed Board member, gina vensel. gina’s addition to the board is an exciting time for our organization, and we are looking forward to integrating her vast expertise in advocacy, marketing, fundraising, event coordination, and combating stigma into our work. gina vensel is a marketing and media professional, events
Welcome Kat Murti, Students for Sensible Drug Policy’s New Executive Director
Meet SSDP’s new Executive Director Kat Murti!
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
SSDP Welcomes Jonathan Lubecky to Board of Directors
SSDP Welcomes Jonathan Lubecky to Board of Directors Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) is thrilled to welcome our newest Board member, Jonathan M. Lubecky, U.S. Army SGT(R). Jonathan’s addition to our team marks an exciting new chapter for our organization, and we are eager to integrate his vast expertise in advocacy, governmental affairs, and psychedelic medicine into our
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
SSDP Has a New Address!
Students for Sensible Drug Policy has a new PO box! Please make sure to update your address books and send all mail to… Students for Sensible Drug Policy1800 M St NW, #33051Washington, DC 20036
Psychedelic Renaissance in North Carolina: SSDP’s Gina Giorgio and Jeremy Sharp at the Forefront
Psychedelic Renaissance in North Carolina: SSDP’s Gina Giorgio and Jeremy Sharp at the Forefront By: Gina Giorgio, SSDP Psychedelic Pipeline Program Director In January 2022, I approached Jeremy Sharp, my colleague at Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) with an idea that took us both on a significant journey. Inspired by the work of Dr. Vilmarie Fraguada Narloch and Jean
Introducing Lake Superior State University SSDP!
Written by Jackson Rund, Lake Superior State University SSDP President How did you hear about SSDP?The first time I heard about SSDP was at MJBIZCON. I stopped at the SSDP table on the first day and really agreed with a lot of the objectives and goals of the organization. Why did you want to get involved/what made you decide 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
30 Under 30 Women in Psychedelics
Women in Psychedelics 30 Under 30 By: Gina Giorgio Psychedelic careers have boomed in the past few years. Paving the way for a new generation of psychedelic researchers, therapists, integration specialists, policy workers, communications experts, and so much more. Entering and supporting a field that is constantly changing is challenging, especially for young folks who are still trying to
Announcing the SSDP Congressional Session 2023 Results
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2023 ELECTED BOARD MEMBERS! SSDP’s Congress Committee is excited to announce we have finalized the results of the Board of Directors election! Please join me in extending a warm welcome to our new Board members, Justin Ayala, Amanda Ivatorov, and Hena Malik! SSDP’s 2023 Elected Board Directors A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR 2023 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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
Introducing Fordham University SSDP
Written by Aenea Towns-von Stauber ‘22, SSDP Fordham Chapter Leader How did you hear about SSDP?I heard about SSDP through MAPS. I’m interested in going into psychedelic research, and was reading about ways I could start working towards that. From there I started looking into SSDP, and I decided that if I want to go into a career involving psychedelics
Student Post – President Biden: Is the Future of Sensible Drug Policy a Pipe Dream?
Written by Jarell Corley ‘22, Hyde Park, Illinois SSDP Ambassador As a former medical marijuana activist and current electoral reform advocate, I am passionate about serious efforts to reform outdated policies influencing many aspects of our society; one in particular is drug policy. This article is in response to President Biden’s executive order pardoning all federal offenses of simple marijuana
Announcing SSDP Congressional Session 2023
Apply to Become a Candidate for SSDP’s Board of Directors This year, the SSDP Congress will convene from March 7th – 8th, 2023, and provide each chapter in the network the opportunity to elect new student members to the Board of Directors, and to vote on resolutions for the organization. ELECTING STUDENT MEMBERS TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS SSDP Congress
SSDP’s Top 10 Policy Victories of 2022
With 2022 drawing to a close, Students for Sensible Drug Policy is reflecting on the drug policy victories we have been able to accomplish over the past twelve months. With campuses and community centers opening back up, keeping the potential risks of COVID in mind,, our students and youth leaders were busy leading efforts to advance sensible policies on their
Reasons to Donate to SSDP: Top Highlights from the SSDP’s Southern Region
SSDP’s Top Southern Highlights: Reasons to Support our Work Reason 1 SSDP students are actively pushing policy in the South! Thanks to the hard work of SSDPer at UGA Athens Georgia passes Georgia’s most comprehensive decriminalization ordinance! https://hightimes.com/news/athens-georgia-on-cusp-of-major-decriminalization-ordinance/ (Picture 1. Athens Georgia City Hall. June, 2022 – SSDP National Board Vice Chair – Raiden Washington. Georgia State
