Drug Policy
10 Days to Decriminalize 🍁
Every 31 seconds, another person is arrested for a drug offense in the United States.
It takes just 30 seconds to submit a public comment calling for marijuana decriminalization using our tool.
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
SSDP’s Policy Council is Seeking New Tactical Team Members
Students for Sensible Drug Policy is seeking new student, alumni, and supporter leaders to join our Policy Council’s Tactical Team! We’ve had a lot of great victories this year: the second passage of the MORE Act in the House of Representatives, a public launch for one of our campaigns to remove funding for enforcing low-level drug penalties at the local level, and our
Youth organizers pass the first marijuana decriminalization ordinance in Denton
Congratulations to the University of North Texas Students for Sensible Drug Policy (UNT SSDP) chapter and Decriminalize Denton for passing Denton Proposition B: the city’s first marijuana decriminalization ordinance! The initiative to eliminate low-level marijuana enforcement passed with an overwhelming majority at 71.6% of the votes. Tristan Seikel ’18, a UNT SSDP Alumnus and founder of Decriminalize Denton, shared his
The Case for Descheduling Drugs: From Cannabis to Heroin
Recently, President Biden asked the Secretary of Health and Human Services to “initiate the administrative process to review expeditiously how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.” The announcement was a welcomed change by many federal cannabis activists, who are calling for the descheduling of cannabis through this review. In order to truly understand why we must deschedule marijuana, it’s important
Students Urge the Biden Administration to Center Harm Reduction in the Methamphetamine Response Plan of 2021
President Bident recently signed the “Methamphetamine Response Act of 2021” into effect, naming methamphetamine as an “emerging drug threat” and directing the Office of National Drug Control (ONDCP) to implement a Methamphetamine Response Plan within 90 days of the signing of the bill. While we are concerned that this law is now targeting people who use methamphetamine with outdated prohibitionist
SSDP Advocates at the 65th UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs
The 65th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs took place in Vienna between 14-18 March, with members states and civil society representatives coming together to discuss the most pressing issues shaping drug policy today. This session saw historic developments largely influenced by the Russian aggression in Ukraine. Walkouts were initiated at various times during the debate and for
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
JSK ROUNDUP – Announcing the 3rd Edition!
JUST SAY KNOW DRUG EDUCATION ROUNDUP – January 2022
February Newsletter 2022
Note from the ED 📝 If you thought 2021 was an eventful year for drug policy, 2022 is going to be even better! We have a multitude of campaigns launching this year including a statewide ballot measure in Michigan, HBCU outreach in partnership with SMART, and efforts to ensure harm reduction programs are available at every university in the country.
SSDP and SMART to partner on HBCU outreach campaign to increase diversity in drug policy
Primary contacts: Jason Ortiz Executive Director, SSDP jason@ssdp.org, (860) 639-8101 Nadir Pearson Founder and CEO, SMART nadir@studentmmj.com For Immediate Release: SSDP and SMART to partner on HBCU outreach campaign to increase diversity in drug policy Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Student Marijuana Alliance for Research and Transparency launch co-branded HBCU outreach campaign February 1st, 2022— Students
Top 10 Drug Policy Reform Moments of 2021
by Robert Hofmann and Mike Liszewski With 2021 drawing to a close, Students for Sensible Drug Policy is reflecting on the drug policy milestones and victories over the past twelve months. Despite the challenges to political organizing that COVID provided, SSDPers and other drug policy reform advocates were busy advancing sensible laws and programs to end criminalization, reduce the harms
Your 2021 SSDP Wrapped
Students for Sensible Drug Policy did some amazing things in 2021. Our thoughtful, bright, and impressive young activists made huge strides towards SSDP’s vision of a post-prohibition future where safety, justice, and education are prioritized in drug policy. There’s no better time than right now to help us make 2021 even bigger by making a year-end gift. Your tax-deductible gift
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
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
Team Highlight: Rachel Wissner ‘11
For the rest of the year, we will be introducing you to our team at Students for Sensible Drug Policy! Today, we have our Development Director, Rachel Wissner! Rachel Wissner ’11 (she/her) Development Director Previous and/or Current Chapter Involvement SUNY New Paltz 2011-2016 Short Bio Rachel Wissner is the Development Director at SSDP. Rachel began her career as a drug
Team Highlight: Jason Ortiz ‘08
For the rest of the year, we will be introducing you to our team at Students for Sensible Drug Policy! Next, we have our Executive Director, Jason Ortiz! Jason Ortiz ‘08 (he, him, el) Executive Director Previous and/or Current Chapter Involvement UConn Storrs, was CFO for many years Short Bio Jason Ortiz is an almnus of the UConn SSDP chapter,
Making Noise in the South
SSDP Engages with Florida’s Emerging Cannabis Industry Recently, I took an autumn drive from Atlanta to Tallahassee, Florida, in order to help stakeholders lobby for sensible Cannabis reform at Florida’s State General Assembly. While cruising down an old state highway in Southern Georgia, lined with colorful leaves and farms whose abundant crops were ready for the harvest, I began to ponder
November Newsletter 2021
Note from the team It has been an exciting last few months at SSDP! We launched multiple campaigns, hired 2 stellar interns, and had a strong presence at MJBizCon, the 5th European Harm Reduction Conference, and the American Bar Association’s Business of Cannabis Conference. Help us keep up the momentum by becoming a member of our Sensible Society, and see
40 under 40 Outstanding BIPOC leaders in Drug Policy in the United States
40 under 40 Outstanding BIPOC leaders in Drug Policy By Oriana Mayorga One effective way to practice allyship and anti-racism in the drug policy movement is to intentionally uplift the voices and talents of people of color, and directly support them by booking them on your conference panels, events and through direct monetary contributions to their work. SSDP’s equity team
October Newsletter 2021
Note from the team As we enter the fall season, Students for Sensible Drug Policy has seen the return to campus for many of our chapters for the first time in well over a year. As everyone re-adjusts to a world that is not quite post-COVID but growing nearer, young leaders around the world are eager to re-engage with their
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 submits comments on Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act
September 1, 2021 The Honorable Cory Booker The Honorable Ron Wyden The Honorable Chuck Schumer Attn: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act Sponsoring Offices United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20515 Submitted via email to Cannabis_Reform@finance.senate.gov. RE: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act — Students for Sensible Drug Policy: U.S. Policy Council Comments Dear Senators Booker, Wyden, and Schumer: On behalf of Students
