News

Happy Thursday! Wherever you are in the world, we hope that your week is off to a productive start so far.As many readers may already be well-aware, the entire SSDP team has been incredibly busy so far this year with back-to-back multi-conference weekends to end the month of March, along with a lengthy list of SSDP chapter gatherings, community events,

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SSDP is grateful for our partnership with Green Thumbs Industries (GTI). Their support of our Round Up program has empowered SSDPers across the country to drive meaningful cannabis policy reform and help right the wrongs of decades of cannabis prohibition. GTI strives to create lasting, positive change in the communities they serve. Their Social Impact Report provides an overview of

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March is Women’s History Month, a time to celebrate the incredible contributions of women throughout history. While often overlooked, women have played a pivotal role in shaping the cannabis landscape. This month, we’re shining a spotlight on the women who are leading the charge in cannabis advocacy, fighting for policy reform, social justice, and access to this powerful plant. Thank

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Marijuana Moment’s article on March 4 discusses the potential revenue impact that legalizing cannabis could have on the UK, with a mention of SSDP’s work. Transform’s psychedelic guidance came on the heels of a coalition of international advocates calling for an end to prohibition and instead for the legalization and regulatation all drugs. That report, produced in partnership with the

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Lauren Daly has been named Marijuana Policy Project’s interim executive director. With a background in drug policy and civil rights advocacy—and years of experience in a fundraising capacity—the plan is to help elevate MPP’s work at a critical inflection point at the state and federal levels. In the years since, she’s also served in top roles at Students for Sensible

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Shaleen Title, founder and director of the drug policy think tank Parabola Center, was interviewed by Mary Jane Gibson from Cannabis & Tech Today about how after two decades as a leading voice in the legal cannabis movement, Title is stepping back from drug policy work. We are grateful for the mention of Students for Sensible Drug Policy in the

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LibertyCon International 2025 is taking place on February 7-8 at the Washington DC Downtown Westin. With students active in 111 countries, previous LibertyCon events have been hosted in Africa, Europe, Latin America, and South America. The theme of this year’s convention is From Impossible To Inevitable, focusing on the positive achievements in civil rights and economic freedoms happening in the world. Read

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We are grateful to Charley Wininger for mentioning SSDP in his timely piece, Integrating the News, that published today in Lucid News. With a post-prohibition future always a possibility in a new administration, we may wish to promote legislation on the state and/or federal level to ensure these medicines become readily available and accessible to those who most need them.

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Chapter leaders from Students for Sensible Drug Policy at Virginia Tech University stand in support of HB2775, a bill relating to the definition of hemp product. Also known as the Revitize Hemp Act.

Florida State University News reports that driving under the influence (DUI) incidents at the end of the fall semester have sparked debates about campus safety and the effectiveness of FSU’s prevention efforts. Colin Scherzer, RSO leader for Students for Sensible Drug Policy at FSU (SSDP), pointed to binge drinking as a major concern.  Read the article here.

Marijuana Moment published an op-ed co-authored by SSDP’s Executive Director, Kat Murti, and Chelsea Higgs Wise, MSW, the co-founder and executive director of Marijuana Justice. SSDP and Marijuana Justice are steering committee members of the United for Marijuana Decriminalization Coalition. Their article dives into the canceled marijuana rescheduling hearing that would have kicked off today. While the cannabis industry is seemingly divided

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On MLK Day 2015, we are thankful to the Canna Law Blog for encouraging readers that want to get active in cannabis policy reform to join SSDP! We are heading to Washington D.C. for our Cannabis Week of Unity to fight for cannabis decriminalization, and invite you to join us. More details coming soon. Read the blog article here.

With just days left of his Presidency, Biden commutes 2,500 nonviolent drug offenders yet leaves cannabis prisoners behind bars. The New York Post spoke to SSDP’s Executive Director, Kat Murti, on the subject. Read the article here.

Thanks to Marijuana Moment for linking to our post-trial DOI & DOC brief in this week’s newsletter. Students for Sensible Drug Policy filed a post-trial brief in a Drug Enforcement Administration administrative court case concerning the agency’s proposed ban on two psychedelics. Learn more here.

Gina Giorgio, Director of Strategy and Development at Students for Sensible Drug Policy, wrote an op-ed in Boulder Weekly discussing our historic court case with the DEA defending the scheduling status of niche research chemicals DOI & DOC to protect psychedelic research. “None of us were experts on administrative hearings, we were just a couple of passionate scientists who wanted

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The Pitt News reports that after a decade-long push, the University of Pittsburgh has installed overdose reversal drug dispensers. Thanks to the help of Julia Hilbert, MWS, founder of SSDP’s Pittsburgh Community Chapter. “This represents probably the longest game win that I’ve been a part of in drug policies,” Hilbert said. The Allegheny County Health Department will provide and replenish

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We are grateful to Psychedelics Today for showcasing SSDP’s work in this fantastic podcast episode where host Joe Moore interviews Kat Murti, Executive Director of SSDP, the largest nationwide network of students fighting to replace the War on Drugs with policies rooted in evidence, compassion, and human rights. Tune in here or wherever you get your podcasts.

The time for cannabis policy reform is now, and Marijuana Moment covered details on the bipartisan bill to provide for the expungement of records for people who’ve received presidential pardons, including non-violent marijuana offenses. The article states that the Weldon Angelos Presidential Pardon Expungements Act would require the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, within one year of enactment,

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Southside Pride, is a free monthly newspaper publishing community news, religious events and a community calendar for Southside Communities of Minneapolis, Minnesota. We are grateful to get included in their article concerning their narcan vending machine at the Fire Station. Yet putting Narcan in schools in Minnesota has taken off in 2023, and more and more organizations have supported the

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It was incredible to see a photo of our SSDP team from our cannabis legalization rally back in October 2022 in front of the White House featured in Rolling Stone! A coalition of Democratic senators and representatives is calling on the Biden administration to finalize its plans to limit marijuana prosecutions at the federal level before he leaves office.  Read the article

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We are grateful to Psychedelic Alpha for this comprehensive overview of the people behind our effort to challenge the DEA on two psychedelic research chemicals – DOI & DOC. The team can only remain optimistic that the evidence presented was enough to tilt the scale in favor of SSDP/Ramos, and if nothing else that those watching and reading about this

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Thank you to The Microdose, an independent journalism newsletter brought to you by the U.C. Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics for covering SSDP’s historic ten-day court hearing with the DEA fighting to keep psychedelic research chemicals DOI & DOC legal. Read the article here.

We are grateful for Reason for shining light on our court case with the DEA, fighting to keep DOI & DOC, two psychedelic research chemicals from becoming Schedule I drugs. SSDP describes the two compounds as “essential research chemicals in pre-clinical psychiatry and neurobiology,” noting that their unscheduled status has made them accessible as tools for studying serotonin receptors. It says DOI,

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Thank you for Stupiddope for sharing our advocacy alert to call the White House today for National Day of Action for Cannabis Clemency. Read the article here.

Thanks to Nug Magazine for including SSDP as a leader in cannabis policy reform. Today, the landscape of cannabis activism is diverse, encompassing various organizations and advocacy groups focused on reforming cannabis laws. Organizations like the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), and Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) have worked tirelessly

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