Drug Policy

17
May

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

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6
Dec

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

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23
Nov

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

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22
Nov

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

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6
May

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

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12
Apr

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

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28
Mar

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

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14
Mar

JSK ROUNDUP – Announcing the 3rd Edition!

Welcome to the Just Say Know monthly roundup! Here, our Just Say Know intern, Matthew Aragón '16, will be sharing the latest in drug education and harm reduction each month. A special note from SSDP’s Director of Drug Education, Vilmarie Fraguada Narloch, PsyD ‘09: Hello friends,       SSDP’s Just Say Know Peer Education Program was developed out of deep frustration that our
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15
Feb

JUST SAY KNOW DRUG EDUCATION ROUNDUP – January 2022

Welcome to the Just Say Know monthly roundup! Here, our Just Say Know intern, Matthew Aragón '16, will be sharing the latest in drug education and harm reduction each month. The new year appears to be off to a great start in the world of harm reduction and drug policy reform. With many of us returning to school for the Spring
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3
Feb

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.

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1
Feb

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

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30
Dec

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

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29
Dec

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

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24
Dec

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

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30
Nov

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

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23
Nov

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

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23
Nov

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,

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19
Nov

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

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17
Nov

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

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16
Nov

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

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12
Oct

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

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1
Oct

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

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13
Sep

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

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1
Sep

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

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31
Aug

International Overdose Awareness Day 2021

Today is International Overdose Awareness Day. The day began in 2001 in Melbourne, Australia and has grown to be the largest annual global campaigns to end overdose. With one of the slogans being, “Time to Remember. Time to Act.” The World Drug Report (2021) stated that an estimated 275 million people used drugs in 2020 and that drug related deaths

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