Students for Sensible Drug Policy’s June 2020 Report Card is out! Read through and check out the awesome achievements made by our global members last month.

Last week, we announced that Stacia Wallis ‘05 and Betty Aldworth will soon be laid off from SSDP in light of the ongoing health pandemic and accompanying economic recession. While we are saddened to have to reduce staff in this manner, we know that our careful attention and planning will allow us to adapt, fundraise, and streamline to ride out several years of anticipated recession or depression. You can read about our future plans and accomplishments during their tenure on our blog. 

SSDP’s work is as critical as ever. Here’s how you can help. 

No matter how difficult, change is always an opportunity for growth. With our members and faithfully dedicated alumni, we have been working to adapt to a new political, social, and campus reality. We’ve been working with the Board of Directors to support organizational governance, with chapter leaders to provide training and support to peers, and with our partners to support policy responses to the unmasking of systematized violence and insufficient healthcare that are propped up by the drug war. 

Please join us in thanking Stacia and Betty for their years of service to the youth movement to end the War on Drugs, and then consider how you can join them as donors and volunteers to help create an ever-more sensible SSDP. 

Sensibly, 

Your SSDP Global team

Action Alerts 

• Call on Congress to act on police violence.
• Demand justice for Breonna Taylor.
• Demand MORE and support U.S. federal legislation legalizing marijuana with reparative justice.
• Demand that the Department of Justice revoke expanded powers granted to the DEA to target and surveil protestors
• Write your legislators to reallocate police budgets toward education and social services

New Activists and Chapters

• Southern Illinois University Carbondale (United States)
• Northwestern University (United States)
• Texas A&M University (United States)

Stats

• 2 of our brand new SSDP101 trainings held
• 100% of our 2019-2020 fundraising goal met 
• 89 members coached
• 121 people currently engaged in Just Say Know training
• 34 members and supporters attended the SSDP Orientations in June

Network highlights

• Support. Don’t Punish. actions and events were held by SSDP Berlin, SSDP Budapest, SSDP Ghana, SSDP Graz, SSDP Nigeria, SSDP Sierra Leone, SSDP UK,  SSDP Vienna, and SSDP Zimbabwe.
• SSDP Berlin and SSDP Graz distributed stickers in 8 European cities for Support. Don’t Punish.
• SSDP Zimbabwe, SSDP UK, SSDP Ireland, and SSDP Berlin held webinars on harm reduction for Support. Don’t Punish.
• SSDP Nigeria members were on Sweet 107.1 FM, Empire 104.5 FM, and Roots 97.1 FM to discuss harm reduction
• SSDP Israel became part of the Official Israeli Harm Reduction Forum
• University of Calabar held an open discussion on drugs titled “Towards Accelerating momentum for Reform (De-cluttering the Drug Narrative)” for Support. Don’t Punish.
• Michael Hoffman ‘19 lectured the Beer Sheva Law Enforcement Department on harm reduction 
• Evan Hazlett ’17 from Depaul University SSDP organized a protest of over a hundred people in solidarity with the Black Lives Movement
• Carmen Jackman ‘19 and Oriana Mayorga ‘13 presented a panel titled “Intersectionality work at SSDP & Inclusion in the Psychedelic Movement” at Psyched2020
• George Washington University raised $520 for Black Lives Matter DC

Just Say Know Drug Education Roundup

In the June edition of the roundup, our Director of Drug Education shares some of the latest in cannabis and psychedelic research, highlights some current events in overdose prevention, provides updates on how COVID-19 is impacting drug consumption and policy reform efforts, and more!

SSDP in the news

• As business booms, MCBA’s activism extends to the marginalized – Greenway
• SSDP Conference: Ending Mass Incarceration Takes More Than Drug Policy Reform – Filter
• Support. Don’t Punish: Future of Drug Policing – Transnational Institute
• SSDP Support. Don’t Punish Global Day of Action – TalkingDrugs
• Stimulus Checks for the Dead, Assange Under Attack, AI Wrongful Arrest – Sputnik International
• Marijuana industry using tobacco’s old tactics of preying on kids, study says – NJ.com
• Executive Shuffle at SSDP: Aldworth, Wallis Resign – CelebStoner

From the blog

• Our global fight has never been more important
• Drug use and the LGBTQ Community – Taking pride in harm reduction
• SSDP Prepares for Stacia Wallis ‘05, Betty Aldworth departure from staff
• Introducing Northwestern SSDP
• SSDP’s Byrne Jag Grant Position
• We’re still fighting for a more sensible future. Stand with us.
• Drug policy and digital rights – June 30th and July 1st days of action
• Introducing University College London
• Medicinal Cannabis ‘LL Boost Nigeria’s Economy
• Stigmatization and its effects on women who use drugs
• Congress: Amend and Pass Justice in Policing now!
• His Name is Justin Howell
• Participate in the global drug survey
• DEA, Go Away!
• Our US Campus Policy Gradebook has been updated!
• Harm Reduction and Drug Prevention: Civil Society’s Search for Common Ground
• SSDP Mosaic: Supporting PWUD through COVID19

Upcoming events and days of action

These events include those which are hosted by SSDP global, or by SSDP chapters, or in which we are partners or co-hosts, or feature an SSDP member as a speaker. If your chapter is hosting an event that you’d like listed, please let your SSDP staff member know. 

• July 16-17 | Online (Zoom) | SSDP Orientation
• September 26-27 | Philadelphia, PA, USA | PABJ Presents: The Cannatlantic Conference
• October 8-11 |New York City, NY, USA and Online | Horizons 2020
• April 17, 2021 | Washington, DC, USA | National Cannabis Festival

Recommended reading and resources

• Rob Hofmann ‘16: How to Avoid Calling the Police
• Vilmarie Narloch ‘09: The psychedelic renaissance and the limitations of a White-dominant medical framework: A call for indigenous and ethnic minority inclusion
• Luis Montoya ‘16: The war on drugs is built on racism. It’s time to decolonize drug policy. 

Member discounts & givebacks

• Dip Devices’ Dipper – Get 15% off and give 15% to us with code “SSDP”
• Dip Devices’ EVRI – 1% of all sales go to SSDP & MPP 
• Gift your credit card rewards to SSDP with Charity Charge 
• Find your next employee with H2 Talent or THC Staffing & a portion of your fees will be donated
• Get books from our Recommended Reading list and give back at the same time
• Shop to give back with iGive, Giving Assistant, and Amazon Smile
• PABJ Presents: The Cannatlantic Conference – Get 50% off registration with discount code “SSDP”