Written by Connor Flanigan ’20, UMich SSDP Chapter Leader

How did you hear about SSDP?

Was looking for ways to get involved with positive psychedelic legislation, and google did the rest.

Why did you want to get involved/what made you decide to start a chapter?

I wanted to help organize my local community in the ongoing efforts around drug policy. Ann Arbor has been a figurehead with the latest Decriminalization of entheogenic plants (Big Shoutout to Decrim Nature, Julie Barron, and Dr. Larry Norris), and it was shocking to me that there wasn’t an existing SSDP chapter at Umich to help the movement in the area. I know so many students who want to get involved, so I decided to get it back up and running.

What has the reception been like on campus? From students, teachers, administration, etc. 

Reception has been great! Students are excited, and faculty I’ve engaged with are appreciative to have the movement growing!

What are some of the things you have planned or want to plan for next semester? 

Psychedelic education and assisting in advocacy being done at Michigan State and OCC SSDP chapters.

What is the most challenging part of your experience starting/running the chapter so far? 

Fundraising is definitely the current challenge we are focusing on, but the Ann Arbor community is supportive, so I’m confident we will be able to engage with the city and get funds in order.

What is the most rewarding part? 

The people in our chapter are incredibly passionate, and seeing them talk about their ideas and aspirations in creating better policy around psychedelics has been unbelievable.

What are you most excited about for your chapter/school/state/region right now?

Movement in Psychedelic legalization to expand access for those not already involved in utilizing psychedelics for wellness. Decriminalization is fantastic for early adopters, but legalization can offer those uneducated in the space or wary of treading outside established medicine a chance to benefit from these compounds.

What is your vision for your SSDP? Where do you see your chapter in a year? in 4 or 5 years?

Supporting statewide initiatives for psychedelics, having instrumental parts in future progress within Ann Arbor and Michigan